Harry Potter and the Magic War
by swissdog
Summary: With the mystery that was Trevor Osborne seemingly gone from Hogwarts, Harry and the WCKs must confront a new challenge. Only this time it seems to be coming from Harry's own mind.
1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter and the Magic War

Introduction: So begins my fourth book in the series that began with Harry's Future and will be the first book outside of J.K. Rowling's timeframe. Not sure where it's going to take us but I hope we all enjoy the ride. The chapters will be posted as written but there is no schedule or pattern. Cajoling won't help.

Chapter One:

Harry Potter, Professor of Transfiguration and Deputy Head Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sat astride his broom as he hovered over the wreckage that had been the castle and home of the school for a millennium. What he saw was not the tumbledown ruin that all muggles saw on the rare occasion that one got close enough. This wasn't the work of powerful spells to influence the eyes and minds of non magical folk. What he was seeing was all too evident to his wizard sight.

Nearly two thirds of the structure was now a pile of cracked and blackened stone strewn with smoldering charcoal that had once been the wooden structural and decorative elements he had come to know by memory. The remainder that still stood was soot stained and looked ready to fall at the slightest breeze. Even from where he floated he could see the exposed remains of what were either defenders or attackers, most likely some of each.

His smoke irritated eyes shifted their gaze to the Quidditch stadium, or what remained of it. The mostly wood construction had been reduced to an oval pile of charcoal and ashes. He allowed the broom to drift more in the direction of the stadium. While he hadn't seen most of what had happened to the castle, he was all too well aware of the details of the destruction of the stadium, since he had been the one to orchestrate it.

He had swept in from the east at the point of a wedge of dragons, both greater and lesser, to see the horde that was laying waste to the castle. Someone was either watching or had sensed their approach, because almost as one they had turned and fled toward the stadium. At the sight of the burning ruin, Harry's vision went red with rage and his first blast of Incendio Draco cut a swath through the rear of the enemy.

He had managed to maintain enough of his senses to direct the wing of dragons to circle around the perimeter of the grounds to make sure that no one was going to sneak up on them from behind while they were dealing with those that had sought the refuge of the Quidditch stadium. With projected thoughts he directed the greater dragons to lead the lesser on strafing runs sweeping the pitch and the lower stands while Harry concentrated on those that had taking position in the VIP towers.

He took a perverse delight directing intense balls of dragon fire at the seating areas, watching fragments of wood and attackers fountain in all directions. He was also dismayed to see one of the lesser dragons, a Horntail he thought, go down after getting hit by a barrage of stupefy spells. On the positive side, the stricken creature landed on a relatively untouched section of the stands, crushing anyone beneath it.

As he observed the smoking wreckage he was having trouble recalling how the fight had ended. The dragons were all gone, even the Horntail that had foundered. Every visual detail stood out in sharp relief but he was also having trouble remembering the events that led up to the call to come to the rescue, obviously too late. As he sat there, trying to remember, he felt a headache begin. It was an intense pounding that echoed in his mind. As the headache increased his vision blurred until he realized he was focusing on a knot in a beam above his head.

He was lying on his back in his bed in the small castle room that he used two nights a week. Some would say he was having a bad dream but he thought not. When he looked at the magical photo that Abagail had arranged for all those years ago, he was sure, because the only ones left in the picture were Ginny and Abagail, and they were crouched down behind the chair that his image would normally occupy.

The pounding that he thought was a headache turned out to be someone hammering on his door. He called out in a hoarse voice, possibly the result of the smoke, he thought.

"What is it?"

"Professor, you're needed at the front entrance, sir. Professor Sprout said you're to come right away."

"Alright. I'll be along shortly," he replied, hauling himself out of bed.

It took him a bit more than five minutes, but certainly not ten, to be hurrying from his room, his wrinkled robe flying out behind him. At least he hadn't had to take the time to comb his hair; it wouldn't have done any good anyway. When he got to the entrance foyer he saw the Headmistress, Professor Sprout, several other members of the faculty, and Stan Shunpike, the Caretaker.

"Ah, Harry. It seems we've had another incident," Professor Sprout began, "and this time with a more lasting effect."

As she said this she indicated the stone work that surrounded the large heavy leaves that were the main entry doors to the castle. Heavy cracks ran along the mortar joints for feet in all directions except for the floor. Some fragments and dust were visible at the base of the wall. While it didn't look like it was ready to collapse, the damage was worrisome.

"Stan, will you make whatever arrangements are necessary to make the repairs, and to route the students away from the doors until they are completed, please."

"Yes, ma'am. Right away."

"Harry, if you'd come with me, please."

"Yes, Professor."

The walk to the Head's office was made in silence. Harry was under no illusions about what was coming. He and the Head had already had several discussions about previous incidents. Whatever was happening, this was the first time that any actual lasting effects were observed. This, of course, was making a bit of a leap in logic, but to date he had had four such episodes. Each one was more vivid and detailed than the last and had had some effect on the Hogwarts grounds, from flashing lights to loud noises. And each one had taken place when Harry was staying the night at the school. Nothing like it happened while he was sleeping at home.

"Have a seat, Harry."

Not at sound came from any of the many portraits of the former Heads. Harry found this a bit unsettling. Usually the Heads were more than willing to throw their two knuts into any conversation. By the time Harry had been called in for his third discussion with Professor Sprout, no one had anything to say. In fact, Professor Dumbledore had been absent for the last two. He and Harry had their discussions in private.

"What was it this time, Harry?"

"The complete destruction of Hogwarts. The castle was basically a pile of rubble and the stadium burned to the ground. It was a war zone. The attackers did for the castle. I'm afraid I was responsible for the stadium. Well, me and the dragons," he explained.

Her expression invited further explanation. By the time he was done her expression was a mix of exasperation and resignation.

"Harry, you are unquestionably one of the finest teachers ever to walk the halls of Hogwarts and your administrative skills are unsurpassed. But along with all that you also embody some of the strangest, and yes, frightening aspects of magic I can imagine. As much as I hate to say this, until we can figure out what's going on here, I'm going to have to ask that you not spend any more nights at the school. I have the safety of the students and the rest of the faculty to consider here."

"I understand, Professor. I was thinking along those lines myself."

"Have you come up with any ideas on why this is happening, Harry?"

"Not really, Professor. It doesn't fit with anything I've experienced in the past. I've been digging through the Tome but nothing yet."

"Well, fortunately today is Friday. So go home after classes are over and see what you can come up with. We'll see what we can do about keeping the castle from falling down around us," the Headmistress said with a small smile.

Harry smiled in return but his looked much more strained. His first task for the day was to get to the faculty table for breakfast. While no longer under the influence of the dragon where his eating habits were concerned, he still had a tendency to wake up hungry. Students were streaming in through the back entrance while the other professors were making their way up onto the dais. Bill clapped Harry on the shoulder as he took his seat.

"Again?" Bill asked simply.

"Yes, the worst yet."

"Harry, do you think that you should go see Dr. Medford?"

"I dunno, Bill. I don't even know if he's still practicing. I can't imagine he'd ever come across something like this."

"Maybe, but at least it would be a place to start. I saw what happened in the foyer," Bill said.

"I'll think about it. The boss asked me not to spend any more nights at the castle until we figure out what's going on."

"So you think it's tied to the castle itself?"

"It's the only place it's happened, Bill. I'd think that means something."

Bill simply nodded as the food began to appear on the table. Harry took the opportunity to break off the conversation as he filled his plate. As he began to eat rather mechanically he looked out over the students. They were already six weeks into the term and the young witches and wizards had settled into their routines. He looked down and saw his second son, Albus, sitting at the junior end of the Ravenclaw table.

Harry had to smile as he thought back on the sensation that that had created. No sooner had the Sorting Hat shouted out 'Ravenclaw' while perched on Albus' head then a collective gasp went up from the student body. Poor Albus looked terrified which quickly turned to confusion when he saw his father wink at him and with a nod of his head direct his son to take his place at the Ravenclaw table. Harry had looked over at the Gryffindors to see his oldest son and two nieces looking on in stunned amazement. James had jumped to his feet, his face one big question mark.

As Harry thought back on that night he remembered the conversation he had with Albus. His son had sought him out after he had been taken to his home away from home for the next seven years.

"Dad, I'm so sorry," the boy had blurted out as soon as he hurried up to his father.

"Why, son?"

"I didn't get into Gryffindor. Aren't you upset?" Albus asked.

"Not at all, son."

"But why not?"

"Come with me, Albus," Harry said as he led his son to a window embrasure where he could lean on the extended sill. "You'll remember the discussion we had when you were so upset by the things your brother was saying about you being sorted in Slytherin house, yes?"

"Yes, sir."

"This is no different. I said you'd do great things no matter where you were placed. When you think about it, you're more suited to Ravenclaw house than any student I've ever come across. I suspect Rose will be right there with you but that doesn't change anything."

"Thanks, Dad, I mean, sir, but aren't Potters supposed to be Gryffindors? And what about the Weasley side of me?" Albus asked, still not convinced.

Harry smiled and chuckled a bit.

"Son, no one is 'supposed' to be anything around here. That's one of the reasons for the Sorting Hat. Its magic gets us past the idea of family traditions and all that. Take a look at your Aunt Hermione. Based solely on what anyone knew about her as an eleven year old, she would have most likely wound up in Ravenclaw. But the hat saw past that to what she had inside. What I'm saying, son, is trust the Hat and look forward to a great experience and know that I'm more than happy with how things have turned out."

Harry returned his focus to his son sitting there, seemingly oblivious to the scrutiny. The boy was involved in a quiet but intense conversation with his cousin and one other young witch. Harry assumed it was something related to their studies. It generally was. Just yesterday, Professor Paracelsus, the Potions teacher, had commented to Harry that Albus had made a few suggestions about how some of the equipment they were using could be improved.

Then he regarded the Gryffindor table, which contained the rest of the Weasley Clan Kids currently enrolled at Hogwarts. James, now a fourth year, was holding a long distance conversation with Kai, his girlfriend who was on the opposite side of the table down with the other six years. Harry was still amazed at how the relationship between the two had developed and it made him wonder at times if James was truly his son, considering his own dismal history with the opposite sex during most of his time as a student.

By concentrating on his children and nieces and nephews, he was able to keep recent events from completely ruining his breakfast. He also had a full day of classes to look forward to so he wouldn't have to give his 'dreams' any consideration until he got home. In fact, when he got home that evening, he found he didn't have much time for any real thinking, since guests for dinner were expected and he had to hurry to get cleaned up and presentable.

It wasn't anything extravagant, with just Hermione and Ron and Hugo. When he asked what the occasion was, Ginny simply gave him a look that suggested no real reason was forthcoming, or needed, while she made sure everything was in order. As it turned out, it couldn't have been better timed. After an excellent meal, prepared by Nibs, served by Dinkle and supervised by the elderly Kreacher, Harry and Ron retired to the library for a game of chess.

"This dream business still giving you trouble, Harry?" Ron asked after commanding his queen's knight into a new position.

"Yes, in fact. Had another one last night. The most vivid one yet," Harry replied, giving a bit of a shrug.

"You're starting to worry me, mate," Ron said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, I don't know, Ron. I don't think it's all that bad, really. Although Professor Sprout is a bit worried about the damage around the main doors this time. I just need to figure it out."

Ron gave Harry a quizzical look so he explained the latest episode to his best friend. When Harry was done Ron leaned back in his chair and studied Harry for a few moments and then said,

"That's not what I meant. I was thinking more that you've been a professor for too long. All those books and lessons and such have muddled your mind. If you were still a copper, you'd have this sorted out. Maybe not solved, but at least a lot clearer up here," Ron said, tapping his forehead.

"Are you suggesting I'm becoming an absent minded professor?"

"Answer me this. Am I right to say that you've confided in me about all the things that have happened to you as far as your visits to strange places, like where you see Dumbledore and such?"

"Yes, I have."

"Alright then. So lets review the evidence, chief," Ron said with a smirk. "When ol' snake face hit you with the killing curse just before the last battle, you went somewhere and talked with Dumbledore. When you almost killed yourself fighting the dragon, you had those visits with Dumbledore, Fred and Sirius. You went into the flows several times and then you had that meeting with Mr. Evil as you called him. And now you're having these dreams or whatever you call them."

"Alright, that's brief but accurate."

"Don't you think it's all related? Isn't the pattern obvious? Harry, for whatever reason, you seem to have a talent to move around in these, I don't know, shadow places. Don't people sometimes talk about extra dimensions and stuff? Angus could probably explain it better than me."

"Maybe, but I doubt I'd understand what he was explaining," Harry said. "And what about the damage?"

"What about it? You pretty well wrecked the meadow that time and when you were in the flows all kinds of things happened. The roof of the chamber blew off and Black Sea School lost that tower. My point is, mate, you seem to be able to go where the rest of us can't follow and what you do there has consequences here. Maybe it's tied to those old ones or maybe it's something new, but I think it's something you need to pay attention to, but like a copper."

After their guests had left for their own home, Harry and Ginny sat in the living room, with Harry looking out the large window overlooking the front garden and the meadow.

"So you'll be coming home every night, Harry?"

"Until we figure this thing out, yes," he replied, looking over at her. "It's funny, you know. Ron and I were talking before and he said I needed to start thinking like a cop again."

"How so?"

"He suggested I needed to start looking at evidence, put the small pieces together, follow where it leads and stop trying to jump to the answer."

"That seems to make some sense," she said. "Do you have anything to start with?"

"We talked through some things and he gave me some ideas. One thing that we know is that this latest business only seems to be happening when I'm at the school."

"Well, that's hopeful. At least I won't have to worry about you pulling the house down on top of us," Ginny said with a straight face.

Harry glared at her a bit and then continued.

"One of the things I'll need to do is try to find out if there's something about the school that might be influencing my dreams."

"Do you really think that they are dreams, sweetheart?"

"Certainly not normal ones at the very least, no, but it's a convenient description. I'll see what the other Professors can tell me, maybe the ghosts as well. It's a reach but I've got to start somewhere," he said.

"What other ideas do you have?" she asked.

"What makes you think I have others?"

"Good grief, Harry. Maybe Ron is right and you are getting a little soft in the head," she said with a little grin. "In the old days you would have had several avenues of investigation to follow. I remember you once saying something about not getting fixated on one idea early in an investigation."

"Wait a minute. Weren't you the one that was so adamant about me giving up the life of a copper? Now you're giving me a hard time because I don't think like one anymore?" he asked indignantly.

"Harry, I didn't want you living the life of a policeman, or dying as one. I never said there was anything wrong with you thinking like one," she said airily.

Harry was pretty sure that she had said something to that effect once or twice but decided that now wasn't the time for that discussion.

"As it happens I do have a couple of questions for two elderly wizards and one big one for a certain young maths wizard. But I wouldn't want to call them avenues. More like wild speculation at this point," he replied.

"That's more like my Harry," she said, her smile more genuine as she reached out to squeeze his hand.

The questions for the two elderly wizards, as he described them, came that night as he lay in a mild doze in bed. With his mind's eye he looked into the swirling gray mist.

"Sirs, are you there. Professor? Merlin?"

"Harry?" came the familiar voice of his mentor. "One moment, dear boy."

Out of the mist stepped the still tall figure of Professor Dumbledore followed by the shorter but no less impressive seeming Merlin, most fabled of all wizards and Harry's benefactor.

"Young Harry, so good to see you. Is this a social visit or have you some mystery for us to ponder?" Merlin asked.

"A mystery of sorts, but one you're all too familiar with," Harry replied, gesturing to their surroundings.

"What do you wish to know, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"I need to find out more about these places where I find myself, Professor. Like here, or where we talked when I was close to dying."

"It would seem, young Harry, that you find yourself in some new difficulties. Perhaps you'd care to enlighten us?" Merlin asked.

So Harry, not knowing what Dumbledore may have shared with Merlin, and needing to bring the latest experience into the discussion, explained the recent series of 'dreams' and how they had some form of physical impact in the here and now. As he usually did when he was explaining some happening or other to one or both of these gentlemen, he was paying close attention to their expressions. Both looked a bit somber and it didn't help when they looked at each other and then held a whispered conversation. When they were finished the two wizards returned to regarding Harry and Dumbledore said,

"Harry, as you might imagine, my ancient and learned friend and I have had a great deal of time to discuss our favorite topic, that is, you."

"Yes, sir," Harry said with a smile. "I believe you've mentioned that once or twice."

"Of particular interest has been this very phenomenon. Since it is at the heart of our continued association with you, dear boy, we've done our very best to come to some understanding. Firstly, we don't believe that what you experience when you sleep is connected to what you've found in the flows. The flows, or leylines, are after all a manifestation of our physical world."

Harry had a sudden flashback to his student days and then had to wonder if this had anything to do with what Ron was talking about. Was this how he sounded these days?

"So, Harry, after a great deal of thought and discussion, Merlin and I have come to the conclusion they you, my boy, are a form of focal point, or perhaps a pivot, around which some form of inter dimensional or multi planar occurrences have been eventuating."

Harry blinked a time or two and said,

"Sir?"

Merlin laughed as Dumbledore smiled and said,

"Forgive the jest, Harry. Simply put, we think that as a result of all the things that have happened to you, you've become a conduit of sorts. Your journeys of the mind provide a path back into the real world, as it were."

"Has this sort of thing ever happened before, that you know of, sirs?"

"Well, young Harry, I do recall a tale of a shaman from the eastern reaches. It was said that he could go into a trance so deep that he would leave his physical body behind and his mind would be free to roam the various planes of existence. Truth be told, I always thought it had more to do with various herbs and fungi, but since meeting you I'd have to imagine there may be more to it."

"So, now all I have to do is figure out how to investigate my dreams," Harry said.

"Isn't it true, Harry, that an entire muggle profession is dedicated to that idea?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry nodded once and said,

"I wonder if Dr. Medford is still around."

But then he had another thought.

"These last occurrences as you called them; they seemed so much more real. Is it possible that these things are really happening? Or will happen? Could there be some sort of big fight coming?"

"That, Harry, I'm afraid we can't help you with. We don't know what will be, we aren't even sure what is, we can only make the best guess we can."

"Yes, sir, I understand."

After a few words of farewell, Harry drifted deeper into sleep, glad he was home and fairly confident that he wouldn't have to deal with any more dreams. Harry wasn't the only one worried about what was happening. That morning at Hogwarts, conversations about Harry, either as an uncle or a father were taking place at both the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables.

"So how was he looking yesterday, Rose?"

"He seems to be doing fine, Albus. His aura is strong and steady. He could probably use a little more sleep. I'd guess he's still having some problems. Something to do with dreams," Rose said.

"How did you hear about that?"

"Weasley telegraph. But not directly. Mum put a few bits in her last couple of messages and I just put them together. Plus there was all that fuss about what happened by the main entrance. I'm thinking it might be something like what happened to the meadow that time," Rose said.

"Terrific. Do you think the others know anything about it?" he asked, looking over his cousin's shoulder to look at the rest of the Weasleys and his brother.

"Are their heads together and they're talking?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Then yes they do and they're trying to figure out what they can do about it, Merlin help him," she said, her expression grim.

With overloud whispers, hand signals and one or two pieces of parchment, the WCKs were trying to get a handle on the latest issue to confront Harry. James was fighting a desperate rear guard action, bluntly telling the others to mind their own business. His older cousin Victoire countered with the observation that Harry's welfare was the business of all of them. Fred and Dominique were leaning in Vee's direction but suggesting that they be cautious, based on previous experience. Kai was backing her boyfriend, telling her friend and dorm mate they didn't have the best record when it came to 'helping' Professor Potter.

"How can you possibly say that?" Vee responded.

"Easy," James said from down the table. "We got rid of that Osborne kid last year and all the trouble he was causing. How about we let Da get through this year without a major catastrophe, alright?"

Both Vee and Domi began to sputter their indignant response but Kai cut them off.

"James, sweetheart, that wasn't very nice. That poor boy suffered a great deal in a short time and you should be a little more charitable."

"He made life very difficult for Da and you know it. And he's gone off who knows where. Don't know why I'm the one who's supposed to be charitable."

Kai's response was to say nothing. Instead she chose to do something that was causing James a lot of trouble lately. She fixed him with those big, dark eyes and pouted. James groaned and rolled his eyes. Domi giggled while Vee looked at her diminutive friend and mouthed,

"That's terrible."

Shaking his head, James looked down the table at his older cousin and said,

"Will you at least promise not to do anything until you're sure of what's going on?"

Victoire pursed her lips and then nodded,

"I guess that makes sense. And you promise not to tell your father what we've been talking about. I don't want to have another lecture about how he'll send me home like he did with Teddy and me."

James nodded in response, knowing that without the guiding, and devious, hand of Ted Lupin, Vee would show her hand all to soon. He looked at Kai and winked, which set her off in gales of laughter, which drew a puzzled glance from Vee. When the small girl was finally able to stop laughing, Kai wiped the tears from her cheeks and then stood up.

"Come on. We have a match to fly this morning, remember?"

When they met up at the rear entrance to the Great Hall Kai took hold of James' arm and kissed his cheek. As they walked she said,

"It really is a wonderful thing, the way you watch out for your dad, sweetheart, but try not to let it bother you. Think how happy he'd be if you told him on Monday that you shut out the Slytherins today."

He looked over and down at her and said,

"Oh, sure. Make me do all the work."

This got a chuckle from them both and arm in arm they went forth to do aerial combat with the much despised enemy, those of the snake sign. Elsewhere, another member of the reptile family, one far more noble, was dealing with issues of his own.

"How long will I have to stay here, Mr. Dragon?" Trevor Osborne asked.

"As long as required for you to become ready for your task," the dragon replied, the words sounding clearly in the vaults of the mind he had found so strange during his last visit to the wizard school.

"But what is my task?" the boy asked in confusion.

"That I do not know."

"Then how will I know if I'm ready for it?"

"That also is beyond my knowledge, young one."

"I wish Professor Potter was here. I bet he'd know," Trevor said quietly.

"At this point in time, I would doubt that. But I suspect that that will change," the Dragon said.

"Do you think my task will have something to do with the Professor? I'd like to be able to help him after all that help he gave me."

"Of that, young one, I am sure, and I am sure the answer is yes."

The boy relaxed as he leaned back against the massive forepaw and resumed listening to the voice in his mind as it explained things to him in a language he had never heard before, but which he understood perfectly.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry Potter and the Magic War

Chapter Two

Harry sat in his favorite chair in the library at Meadow Crest. Across from him sat Angus MacAskill, genius wizard and long time boyfriend of Harry's daughter, Abagail Westwood. Harry blinked a few times, the only movement on an otherwise immobile face. Angus sat back in his chair and broke the silence by saying,

"So, that's aboot all I know of it, Professor. 'Tis a verra complicated subject and I understand the maths, but the physical bit…" he just shrugged.

"Let me see if I get this straight," Harry said. "There might be an infinite number of universes with up to as many as eleven dimensions?"

"Aye, Professor."

"And I should think of each universe as a bubble and we live on the surface of that bubble? And that's were the normal dimensions are? Where are all the others?"

"That's a guit question, sir. I guess inside the bubble?" Angus replied uncertainly. "If they are there."

Harry rubbed his face with both hands and then looked at the young wizard. His present level of frustration was his own doing, he surmised. He thought Angus might be able to explain the idea of extra dimensions to him but he got lost after the first five minutes. He had hoped it would make sense to him like the young man's theory of a chaotic snitch, but now he was thinking the connection to Quidditch had a lot to do with that.

"And you say they think they have evidence for the extra universes but not the dimensions?"

"Aye, Professor. Heard aboot it in a lecture a few years ago."

Harry dwelled on the notion that Angus' ability to speak had improved a great deal since he went to work in the Ministry's reorganized Mysteries Department, but it wasn't helping a bit at the moment.

"Well, thank you, Angus. But it doesn't help much. The muggles have theories but no proof. I have proof of something but no theories. Makes me wonder if there's some connection but," was as far as he got before he threw his hands up.

"We'll do what we can, Professor, tae help ye, but I cannae be sure if we'll be o' much help."

"Thanks, Angus, any help will be appreciated, but don't get yourself in trouble with your bosses."

"Nae worries, sir. They want us tae be aware o' anything new. And ye always seem tae be leadin' the charge," Angus said with a smile.

Harry had to laugh at that as he stood up.

"What do you say we see how the ladies are getting along?"

"Aye, sir."

In this case, the ladies were Ginny, Abagail and little Lily. When the two wizards walked into the living room Ginny and Abagail were talking while Lily sat with Mr. Monty in her lap.

"So, did Angus help you understand the idea, Harry?" Abagail asked.

"To be honest, little one, I think it's beyond my ability to comprehend," Harry replied with a laugh.

"You know, Harry, you're probably the only wizard who thinks there's a direct connection between our world and the muggles," Abagail said.

"It's all the same world, little one. We just use different parts of it. Look at what we figured out about the flows. We'll see about this part of it, too. Eventually."

Turning to his wife he said,

"I assume we'll have guests for dinner?"

The look he got suggested insanity must run rampant in his family. His next serious discussion came two days later, at Hogwarts, and it was far less stressful. Despite the need to start a new routine, Harry was still going to be found at the junior end of the Gryffindor table each afternoon. In this first instance, he was sitting across from his son James, who was bracketed by his best friend Cecil on one side and his cousin Fred on the other. Fred's girlfriend Cressida sat next to him. Kai was also there, standing behind James, seemingly unconcerned at showing her affection for the boy in front of his father. She had her arms wrapped around him from behind and was resting her chin on the top of his head.

"I hear Gryffindor beat Slytherin one eighty to one fifty, with Slytherin getting the snitch?" Harry asked.

"That's right, sir," James replied.

"That's means you were beating them one eighty to nothing on goals?"

"That's right, Professor," Kai said with a grin as she gave James a squeeze. "It was amazing the way James shut them out."

"Oh, I dunno about that, Kai. I mean, their chasers can fly fairly well, but they aren't much on tactics and strategy."

Kai pulled her head over to the side so she could look James eye to eye.

"How can you say that, sweetheart? They were pulling all kinds of tricks up there, some of them pretty nasty, too."

"Yeah, I saw some of those. And I'm sure from where you were sitting it did look that way. But you didn't have the advantage of being where I was. After the first couple of scoring runs, it was pretty obvious what they were doing," James said, turning back to look at his father. "Every scoring attempt was done to set up an off hand throw. All I had to do was watch who wound up with the quaffle and I'd know what they had in mind. The silly sods never caught on that I knew. Sad, really."

"Well, I don't care what you say, you were simply magnificent," Kai said as she planted a kiss on his cheek and then went back to resting her chin on his head.

"Well, son, I'm very sorry I missed that. It must have been something to see," Harry said by way of apology.

"No worries, sir. I know you're trying to get a handle on this other business."

"Yes, and speaking to that, I'd appreciate it if no one tried to offer any unsolicited assistance, if you take my meaning," Harry said.

"Yes, sir, no problem there," James said, although his eyes suggested something else, looking over Harry's shoulder.

Harry turned his head to see his two nieces making their way along the table in his direction. He turned to regard his son with a raised eyebrow. James felt Kai's arms tighten and he thought he heard her say something about 'terrible'.

"Hello, sir," Vee said by way of greeting, her smile wide and beautiful.

Dominique's eyes flicked in the direction of Cecil and then quickly back to her uncle. Harry assumed a very pleasant expression as he regarded the two young beauties and then said,

"Good afternoon to the two of you. I'm glad you came along just now. I was just telling your cousins and their friends that as I work my way through this latest series of events, I won't be looking for any help from well meaning individuals."

"Why, sir, what a thing to suggest," Vee said, her face a mask of innocence.

Harry simply regarded his favorite niece with a neutral expression while she tried to match him stare for stare. It wasn't long before her cheeks started to redden and her eyes shifted from side to side until she lowered them and said,

"Yes, sir."

"Look, no one appreciates more than me the kind of help family and friends can provide, but this isn't the time or the place. Stick to your studies and your activities, alright?"

"Yes, sir," came the chorused reply.

Later in the evening in the Gryffindor common room things had gotten a little tense. James and Kai were curled up together in one of the big overstuffed chairs in front of the fire. Victoire was standing in front of the chair pointing an accusing finger at her cousin while Domi stood off to the side, trying to hide her smile.

"You promised me that you wouldn't say anything to Uncle 'arry."

"I didn't say a word. He figured it out all by himself," James replied. "He's a pretty smart one, you know."

"But we didn't do a single thing yet."

"Vee, will you listen to yourself," Kai interjected. "You watch the man like a hawk. You've been nearly thrown out of school for sticking your nose in his business, and you are your mother's true daughter. What is there for Professor Potter to figure out? He doesn't even have to add two and two to get four. The twos just jumped together."

Victoire was preparing to deliver a blistering retort when Domi said,

"Give it a rest, Vee. You lost. But don't worry. The way things have gone in the past, there should be something for you to do sooner or later. Maybe if you're lucky there will be a huge battle and you can make good use of your first aid kit."

Vee turned on her sister looking every inch the enraged veela before she broke out in tears and sobbed,

"You are all so terrible, you just don't care."

Then she fled to the staircase and up to her room. James and Kai looked at each other wide eyed and then turned to see Domi looking towards the top of the staircase, her expression calculating and her lips moving silently. After a few moments James, Kai and the others in the room heard her say,

"Fifty six, one hundred, fifty seven, one hundred, fifty eight…" was as far as she got before Vee reappeared at the top of the stairs.

"Wow," Vee said, "you guys really are getting hard hearted. A few years ago you would have been up here finding out how I was."

Domi shook her head.

"Pathetic, Vee. You haven't pulled that trick at home since you were eight years old."

"That's because Mummy wouldn't let me get away with it anymore," Vee said as she began to walk back down the stairs.

As was usually the case, her descent of the stone stairway attracted the attention of whatever boys were in the common room. At sixteen years of age she had reached her full height, and with Bill Weasley for a father, it was well above average. From her mother she apparently inherited the natural grace of the Delacour sisters so that the simple act of walking down a flight of stairs was converted into a grand entrance. She came to a stop next to the chair occupied by James and Kai and said,

"James, I'm sorry that a yelled at you like that. But can you at least accept the fact that I'm genuinely concerned about your father? This isn't something I can just shrug off."

"I know that, Vee. I've always known that. But I'd like you to accept that giving Da something else to worry about is like handing a cup of water to a drowning man. It's not very helpful. He's seen people die trying to help him. That's his reality," James said, looking up at his cousin, his serious face looking much like his father at the moment.

Victoire gave him a brief nod, her expression somber, while Kai tightened her grip on his arm while she rested her head on his shoulder. Domi thought this was a good time to change the subject so she said,

"James, you know it's not too long until the Halloween ball. You're going to need a haircut. You, too, Fred."

"You're right, Domi," Kai agreed, "he looked so neat and handsome when school started, but now it's starting to look a little like one of Stan Shunpike's mops."

"I was thinking of something new for him. Fortunately, his hair isn't as much of a challenge as Uncle Harry's."

"I thought so, too. Maybe you could keep it longer in the back," Kai said, running her small hand through James' hair.

"Excuse me, but I'm sitting right here. Maybe you should be asking me if I want my hair cut," James said.

"Shush, sweetheart, Domi and I are talking," Kai said absently.

Fred was nearly beside himself in suppressed hysterics at his cousin's predicament until James looked over at him and said,

"What are you laughing at, cuz? Wasn't Cressida after you the other day about your decrepit wardrobe?"

Fred stopped laughing almost immediately. It had been a horribly embarrassing moment for Fred when his girlfriend took him to task for the sad state of his clothes. He felt incredibly put upon since it had taken nearly all summer to convince his mother that his clothes were well broken in, and not as she put it, barely fit for the rag bin. Cressida was a fairly undemanding girlfriend but she had reached her limit when Fred showed up to head into Hogsmeade a few Saturdays previous and he, as she put it, looked like the aforementioned rag bin with a wizard shoved inside. Fred was fairly certain that this Christmas would be mostly about clothes if Cressida had anything to say about it.

James was only able to extract a bit of solace out of his cousin's discomfort. It took less than a quarter of an hour for James to find himself sitting on a stool off to one side of the common room, a piece of an old sheet wrapped around his shoulders and his cousin standing behind him with comb and scissors. Domi was humming to herself as she worked on her cousin's moderately unruly hair. He was at least spared the intervention, or interference depending on your viewpoint, of Kai, who had become involved in a protracted conversation with Victoire. As she snipped and shaped Domi looked down at her cousin and said,

"James, would it be okay to ask you something? It's a little personal."

"Sure, what's on your mind?" he said, keeping his head still.

"Um, well, I was just wondering if everything is alright with your friend, Cecil."

"As far as I know. He told me he had a bit of trouble over the summer. Some sort of neighborhood thing. Why?" he asked.

"It's just that he hasn't, I don't know, had all that much to say to me since the term started. I thought that he kind of liked me. Did I do something?"

James held up his hand so that she stopped clipping and then he turned his head to look up at his cousin.

"No, in fact, you didn't do anything. Which is most likely why he hasn't said much."

"What do you mean?"

James regarded his cousin with raised eyebrows and then shook his head a bit.

"Domi, don't you and your sister every talk, you know, about guys and such?"

"Not really. She spends all her time worrying about her medical stuff and Uncle Harry. She does talk about Teddy now and again, but mostly worrying about how he's doing with his training."

"Maybe I should have Kai talk to you then."

"Please, tell me what you're talking about."

"Domi, Cecil likes you. A lot. But he doesn't think you have any interest in him. And despite how he acts, he's not very sure of himself around you. I assume you know that Cecil is interested in you, otherwise you wouldn't have asked, right?"

James saw his cousin's cheeks redden a bit but he chose not to say anything.

"I thought he was, but now I'm not so sure."

"Oh, he is alright. In fact, and I'll deny it if you repeat this, he'd do just about anything to get you to smile at him, if he knew what to do," James said.

"Really?"

James was getting an inkling of an idea and he looked closely at this cousin.

"Domi, let me ask you something. Do you think your mother is beautiful?"

"What? Of course she is."

"And what about Vee?" he asked.

Domi looked over at her sister and shook her head a bit.

"Yes, more so every year. If she wasn't so caught up in needing to take care of Uncle Harry, she could have half the guys in the school fighting over her."

"And what about you?"

She just gave a shrug. James wasn't exactly sure but he had the feeling that Domi, having grown up in the shadow of her mother and older sister might not be seeing things very clearly. He smiled a bit and said,

"Domi, believe me when I say that if someone saw you, Vee and Aunt Fleur standing together they'd know right off that you were related and no one would be able to say who was better looking."

James smiled a bit as his cousin's eyes got wide. He just nodded.

"Yes, believe me. And you have an advantage over your sister because you aren't all tied up in this medical studies business. If you like Cecil, understand that he's a little awed by you and all his usual confidence goes right out the window. I've seen it any number of times. I'll tell you what. He and I will be at the Gryffindor table at some point soon doing homework. Stop by and just start talking to him. You might be surprised."

Domi was looking down at her cousin. She set her scissors and comb down and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and planted a big wet kiss on his cheek. Then she rested her head on his shoulder and said,

"Thank you, James. You know, Kai is so lucky to have you."

"I thought I was the lucky one," he replied.

This got him another kiss on the cheek and they both heard Kai call across the room.

"Hey, stop kissing my boyfriend."

Domi looked over at the diminutive girl and said,

"He's been my cousin a lot longer than your boyfriend so I can kiss him all I want," Domi said and then planted several more kisses on James cheek before she started to laugh as she picked up her comb and scissors and went back to work on the boy's hair.

When she was finished combing out James new haircut, she bent down to whisper in his ear,

"Thank you, James. For a few minutes there I thought I was talking to your dad."

He didn't say it, but James thought that was about as good a compliment as there was. The following evening presented the first opportunity for his suggestion to get a try. After dinner, James and Cecil were sitting across from one another at the Gryffindor table working on some homework when James noticed Cecil's head turn to look up toward the senior end. Based on his friend's expression he had a good idea of what, or who, had attracted the boy's attention but he chose not to show he noticed.

A hint of a familiar fragrance was his first clue but when an arm draped over his shoulder and a pair of warm lips kissed his cheek he was pretty sure who it was. Without turning he said,

"Hi, Domi."

"Hello there, James. Hi, Cecil," she added looking across at the boy.

She placed her books on the table and then sat down next to her cousin. With a bright smile she said,

"I hope you don't mind, but I thought maybe you could help me with this history assignment. We're up to the second goblin uprising and it's pretty confusing."

"It sure was. Professor Binns had my head spinning with that one. Cec, you seemed to do a lot better understanding all that double dealing and what not. Why don't you see what you can do to help Domi?" James said.

"Oh, sure, mate," Cecil said, trying to sound nonchalant. "What's the problem, Dominique?"

Domi began to explain to Cecil where she was having trouble following the confused tangle of back stabbing and intrigue while James went back to his work. He smiled to himself when he felt Domi's knee rub against his briefly. Half an hour later, Cecil and Domi were deep into a conversation when Vee and Kai came to join the trio. Kai dropped down next to James and she planted a kiss on his cheek. Vee chose to circle around and come to sit next to Cecil so she was across from Kai. Cecil gave her barely a nod of recognition but Domi's expression flashed to one of pure death until Vee slid down the bench to leave plenty of room between her and Cecil. Domi's expression softened and she went back to discussing goblins with Cecil.

Victoire looked over at her cousin with raised eyebrows but James only gave the briefest of smiles before turning his attention to his favorite subject, Kai. With a bit of a sidelong glance, Vee watched her sister and the London street kid discuss the intricacies of wizard-goblin relations. With a slight shake of the head she opened her books and went to work. She even managed to pull Kai's attention away from James long enough to get some homework done.

Professor Potter was also doing some homework. While his son and company were working at the Gryffindor table, Harry was in his office having a conversation with one of the most knowledgeable people there was when it came to what went on around the castle, Nearly Headless Nick.

"So, Sir Nicholas, does any of this sound familiar? Do you know of anyone who ever lived in the castle who had these vivid, realistic dreams?" Harry asked.

Floating above the chair on the other side of Harry's desk, Nearly Headless Nick regarded one of his all time favorites among the world of the living and said,

"I have to say, Harry, that I'm more familiar with students having nightmares around exam time, but what you just described to me appears to be so much more than a dream. Perhaps the next time you should pick something up and put it in your pocket. If it's there when you wake up, that would tell you much, wouldn't you say?"

Harry laughed a bit.

"Yes, I suppose it would. But what you're suggesting is that I'm actually traveling between physical dimensions. That's a little hard to believe, Sir Nicholas."

"Is it really, Harry? Isn't that what we spirits do? Perhaps not the same one as yours but something similar, it seems. I will speak to my fellow spirits and determine if perhaps they might know of something. Perhaps, in fact, someone else, a student or teacher from the past, had similar experiences."

"Thank you, Sir Nicholas. I appreciate your help."

"Not at all, my boy. You always seem to make life around the old place much more interesting. If it is of any comfort, my fellow spirits hold you in high regard, even the Bloody Baron. Why just the other day, Moaning Myrtle was asking how you were getting on."

"Really? Well, please pass on my regards if you would. Thank you, Sir Nicholas. I suppose it's time for me to be getting home. Have a good night."

"You as well, Harry. I'll let you know as soon as I've heard something."

As Harry was walking down the path from the castle on his way to the small house in Hogsmeade he stopped to look up into the night sky. What he would have given for even the barest ability to read the stars. He wouldn't even think to ask Firenze or Lavender for any insights. As he looked up into the night sky he saw the tails of several meteors flash across the sky and for just an instant he saw a series of stars flare brightly in what appeared to be the outline of a dragon's head. It was gone before he was really sure of what he was seeing, but the image reminded him very strongly of the dragon's head that had been carved into the stone of the upper room of the now destroyed edifice in the chamber in the forest.

Harry resumed his walk to the little house on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. As he approached the house he saw a Patroller walking her beat. He didn't recognize her but he knew that the department was attracting applicants from the continent either as permanent staff or as part of an exchange program. She nodded in recognition and kept on with her patrol while Harry went to the house. He wondered if the young woman even knew who he was, at which point a little voice in his head suggested he was getting a little full of himself. With a snorted laugh he let himself into the house and in moments he was speeding his way home.

"Are you sure it was a dragon's head, Harry?" Ginny asked while they sat together in the library after dinner.

"That's what it looked like, Gin," Harry replied with emphasis on the 'looked'. "And it looked like what I remember the carved head in the cavern looked like. What it actually was, I have no idea. I remember when muggles thought they saw flying saucers, they would be explained away as disturbances in the atmosphere. Maybe this was something similar," he shrugged.

"Or maybe you've finally gone around the bend and I'm going to have to wrap you in an old cardigan and feed you gruel and weak tea," Ginny said with a straight face.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, Harry, you've been through so much in your life so far, it's bound to have an effect on you," she said with a sly smile. "On the other hand, maybe it's just the stress of being a family man and senior administrator at Hogwarts. Perhaps you just need something to take your mind of your troubles for a while."

"What did you have in mind?" he asked.

Her answer was a mischievous smile and arched eyebrow that sent a tingle up Harry's spine that brought his own broad grin. Here was real magic. But the evening with Ginny only brought a temporary reprieve and the following day Harry was once more in pursuit of an answer, or even the first inkling of one, for what he was experiencing.

Ron had raised the issue of the old ones. Harry was certain that the ones he had encountered on several occasions previously had been consigned to oblivion as a result of their last meeting, but that didn't mean there weren't others somewhere. He didn't feel like this latest business had a connection with them but who really knew what they were capable of. And at least it was something he could look into and feel like he was doing something constructive.

So after classes were done for the day he struck out for the forest and the familiar trail that led to its heart. He had gone no more than a hundred feet when he picked up the sense of two Centaur hunters pacing along either side of the trail at some distance. As he neared the clearing a large male stepped out onto the path.

"Hail and well met, Serpent King," Ronan offered.

"Hail and well met, Friend Ronan."

"There is an air of purpose about you this day, Friend Harry Potter. May we be of any assistance?"

"Actually, I think you could. I'm trying to get to the bottom of some strange, well, dreams you could say."

Harry went on to explain what had been occurring lately. Ronan stood quietly, his expression unchanging, his arms folded across his broad chest. When Harry was finished, the Centaur said,

"Friend Harry Potter, it could be said that you are like a bright flame in the darkness, illuminating the shadows and drawing many to your light, but not without some unwelcome pests. We stand ready, of course, to assist in any way we can. After you conclude your business of this afternoon, you may wish to consult the Elder."

"Well said, my friend. And that's a very good idea. As for now I'm on my way to the cavern. Although perhaps now we should be referring to it as the pit," Harry said as he began walking again, Ronan falling in at his side.

"A more fitting description perhaps. We have been maintaining a watch on it still, Friend Harry Potter. Although we are more concerned with someone accidently finding their way into the pit, as you call it, as opposed to something coming out. The young amongst us have found it a great curiosity. Fortunately it fails to hold water, but it is still a precipitous fall."

"I had wondered about that. Of course, that leaves the question as to where the water goes. I hadn't noticed any outlets and the rock didn't seem to be very porous," Harry commented.

"Our observations as well, Friend Harry Potter. After a rain, the chamber floor is covered with less than a hand span of water and the next day, it's gone."

Harry shrugged and said,

"Well, it is open to the sky with the trees well back. Maybe it's just evaporating away?"

"If it is, Serpent King, it happens without aid of the sun. I myself was curious and after the heavy rainfall a few weeks past, I went to observe. At sunset the water was perhaps a hand deep. By morning it was all but gone. It was a full moon but there was still heavy cloud cover. Near midnight the clouds parted and in the light of the moon a heavy mist could be seen rising from the old cavern."

"I have noticed that the pillar always seemed a bit warm," Harry said.

Ronan nodded slightly but whether he was convinced this provided an answer, his expression gave nothing away, as usual. The two friends were perhaps half way to the site of the former chamber when another figure emerged from the side of the trail ahead of them.

"Hail, Friend Harry Potter."

"Good afternoon to you, Friend Morgotta. A pleasure to see you as always," Harry replied.

He was rewarded with what probably passed for a glowing smile by Centaur standards when he saw the corners of Morgotta's mouth turn up slightly.

"And to see you as well, Friend Harry Potter. May I join you and Friend Ronan?"

"Of course. Friend Ronan and I were just talking about the old chamber and my plan to investigate the flows for some clues."

"Ah, yes. Some of the Hogwarts students have mentioned something about you being at the center of some strange events," she said.

"Again," Harry said with some chagrin.

"I'd think an ordinary life would not suit you well, Friend Harry Potter," Ronan said as they resumed their trek.

"Maybe, but I'd sure like to give it a try. Just to satisfy my curiosity, of course."

He heard both Centaurs snort in amusement. As they neared the remains of the old chamber the damage from its demise was still evident in a wide swath. Shredded and shattered trees were lying about and the ground immediately around the edges of what was now a fifty foot deep pit was covered in stone shards. Despite there being no sign of residual energies or magic, Centaur fletchers seemed unwilling to make use of the shards for their arrows.

"As you can see, Serpent King, the area remains much as it was after the unroofing of the chamber," Ronan offered.

"So it would seem. Well, I'll lower myself down and have a look with the pillar."

"Friend Harry Potter, will you not need the assistance of the Great One?" Morgotta asked.

"Perhaps not. During my last adventure with the flows, we found a way around that. However, should something go amiss, notify Hagrid."

The two Centaurs regarded each other and with a nod, Ronan drifted over to where a third Centaur was observing unobtrusively from the edge of the damaged trees. After a few words were exchanged the watcher hurried off deeper into the trees. Harry paid no attention as he approached the nearest edge of the pit. He kicked aside the stone shards to give his shoes better purchase as he leaned over a bit to look down.

There had been no rain for nearly a week and the floor of the pit was dry with the only feature being the still standing pillar. The only hint of the structure that had housed the rooms that Harry had been so familiar with was a slight roughness and discoloration of the stone floor.

Taking out his wand Harry used the levitation spell to lift him from the ground and then lower himself into the pit. When he settled onto the floor he knelt down and pressed a palm to the floor. For the end of a fairly cool autumn day the stone floor was somewhat warm to the touch. After his experience in the Ural Mountains, he wondered just how close the flows were to the surface here and did that have something to do with the location of the school. But those were questions for another day, maybe.

He took a few moments to look around and he could see that nothing had changed since the first time he had seen it after the explosion. The walls had plenty of pockmarks and around the base was a line of discoloration that he assumed was from the water collected during rainfalls. Looking at the pillar he noted that there was no such line.

Harry walked up to the pillar and he could feel the warmth of it with his hand. He placed the other hand on an adjacent side and his body began to resonant with the energy of the flow beneath. He wondered if repeated exposure was making him more sensitive. He also wondered how much of himself was being left behind.

As he had in that cave in the Russian mountains he let some of the energy from the flow move through him and out so that it forced him against the pillar. Then he imaged the valve opening and he allowed his consciousness to be drawn into the flow of energy. Or perhaps was it that it was flowing into him? No time for that now.

For now he was content to just float and let the energy flow around and through him. As he had learned to do previously, he thought of the image of the old ones, but nothing materialized out of the hazy golden mist. That was promising. He thought of ol' snake face, the erstwhile Lord Voldemort and again nothing happened.

So much for the obvious choices, he thought. Time for some imagination. He tried to think of some of the images that had come in those all too vivid dreams. But what had he really seen except normal looking witches and wizards committing uncommon acts of savagery and mayhem. Faces and figures drifted in and out of focus but nothing grew substantial. Harry had to laugh at himself at that point. Magical folk, just like muggles, had been doing such for uncounted generations so nothing there to help him pinpoint anything.

While Harry sought for anything that might shed light on this new set of circumstances, Ronan and Morgotta stood near enough to the edge so that they could watch him as he stood motionless. Ronan turned his head and said,

"Can you feel it?"

"Indeed, I can," she replied without taking her eyes off of Harry. "It's always there, the sense of who and what he is, but now it threatens to overwhelm. I can't imagine what it would be like to be down there with him."

"But it was not like that before, when the chamber was whole and he had to use the dragon to keep from being thrown from the pillar room."

"It would appear that the Serpent King grows in strength and ability," the Loremaster suggested.

"You have concerns?"

"Only for his well being, Friend Ronan. Should he be required to use that ability to the full, the consequences could be dire. Both for those he faces, as well as himself. You know he could never be callous about such."

Ronan nodded as he returned his attention to the pit and its occupant. They watched as Harry remained within the flows for another quarter hour. Perhaps they had been lulled by the lack of sight or sound as Harry stood stock still with his hands pressed to the stone pillar. So they were both stunned when a bright beam of white light fired into the late afternoon sky from the tip of the pillar and the super heated air cracked like the thunder of a near lightening strike.

When they blinked their vision clear they could see that Harry had already lifted himself up out of the pit and was walking towards them, his expression giving nothing away.

"Friend Harry Potter, what was the cause of that display?" Morgotta asked.

"What display was that?" he asked as he came to stand in front of them.

"A beam of bright white light leapt from the tip of the pillar with a sound of the loudest thunder. It occurred just before you returned from the pit."

"Oh, is that what happened out here? My apologies for causing you concern. I was trying to push my search of the flows as far as I could. I had to give a kind of, well, a push I guess you'd call it. I guess that was some kind of backlash you saw. When I had gone after the old ones I got swatted right out of the cave."

"It is a wise wizard who knows the consequences of his action, Friend Harry Potter," Morgotta said.

"A wise wizard? When you find one let me know," he replied, his smile wide.

Morgotta shook her head slightly and said,

"Friend Harry Potter, the day will come when you fail to find humour at your own expense and on that day, the sun will most certainly fall from the sky."

Harry laughed raucously as the three made their way from the pit and on to meet with Zentese for a discussion about dreams, the past, present and future, and how a wizard might find an understanding of it all.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"So, mate, how goes the investigation?" Ron asked from across the chess board.

"I've made a start, but it's too early to say. I've taken a look at the old chamber in the forest, the ghosts are digging into things at Hogwarts, Merlin and Dumbledore are giving things a good thought and I'd give a bag of galleons to be able to have a chat with the Dragon."

Ron chuckled as he put Harry's queen in jeopardy. Then he looked at his friend from across the board.

"For what it's worth, we're willing to help in any way we can, Harry. I haven't the slightest idea what we could do, but we'll do it."

"I appreciate that, Ron. If I come up with something, I'll be sure to tell you," Harry said as he countered with a check.

"Bloody hell, where'd that come from?" Ron lamented.

"You need to keep your mind on the board, mate. I'm glad for the good thoughts, but it's playing havoc with your game," Harry said with a laugh.

The game lasted another two hours and ended in a draw. Ron shook his head and laughed. When they walked into the living room to rejoin their wives, Hermione looked up and said,

"Oops, a draw, perhaps even a win for Harry I'd say."

"Draw," Ron said as he dropped into a chair.

"Ron, sweetheart, didn't I hear you say once that Harry's improving skills gave you more enjoyable games?"

"Yeah, making it harder to win, not bloody well impossible," he said.

Hermione did her best to hide a smile as she patted his arm. Harry smiled, but only a little. Ron was his best friend, after all. Ginny was glad to see even that much. She was aware that at the moment the situation wasn't dire, but she knew Harry was concerned and that meant she was concerned.

After all these years she knew that Harry would brood and chew on what he knew and what he didn't know unless he was distracted so she decided it was time for some distraction. That Saturday she asked Harry to take a trip to Diagon Alley and strongly suggested that he take his daughter, Lily with him. In fact, what she said was,

"Here's a list of things I need and take your daughter along."

Lily was thrilled to be going with her daddy and pleaded with him to go to the Magical Menagerie shop to get some treats for Mr. Monty. She showed him the handful of knuts that she had saved to show willing.

"That's alright, sweetheart," he said. "I'll take care of it. We need to go to the Owl Emporium for some more of the special supplements for my owl. I think he might need to do a lot of flying soon."

"Oooh, that's brilliant, Daddy. I love the owls."

"Yes, well, my dears, just don't forget my list while you're at it," Ginny admonished them mildly.

After dressing for a cool autumn day in the Alley, Harry used Sidealong Disapparation to take himself and his daughter to the little courtyard just behind the Leaky Cauldron. He looked down at Lily and said,

"What do you think? Lunch at the Cauldron when we're done?"

"Ohh, that would be lovely, and maybe dessert with Aunt Angelina," she added.

"Done and done, then," Harry said, pleased with the thought of some ice cream or some biscuits, he wasn't sure which yet.

After tapping the wall and opening the portal, father and daughter stepped out into the Alley, seeing that things were fairly busy which always brought a small smile to his face, considering how it looked in those first months and years after the fall of Voldemort. Remembering Ginny's tone as they were getting ready to leave the house, Harry pulled out the list and they made that their top priority.

Then it was to Flourish and Blotts for a check on anything new they might have found for him and a gift of sorts for Lily in the form of an old volume on ancient magical creatures. Next came Weasley Wizard Wheezes for a visit with George.

"How's business?"

"Great, Harry. Moving a lot of merchandise for Halloween. You know, I have to tell you something, mate. I can't thank you enough for getting Gabrielle to come to work for me. The girl is amazing."

"Um, if I remember correctly, it was you that had the idea of her coming to work for you," Harry replied.

"I suppose that's technically true, but you were the one that got her to think of the possibilities. She's terrific at running the development lab and you wouldn't think it but there's a devilish twist to that mind of hers. Some of her, well, innovations we'll call them, have proven to be top sellers. We're doing very well out of it, and she's received some hefty bonuses."

"I'm glad to hear that. The Delacour sisters have some hidden depths, for sure. I wish her personal life was as eventful."

"From what I see, she does have the occasional date, but that isn't really for us to concern ourselves with, right?" George asked.

"You're probably right. We'll, we better be on our way. Lunch and then The Haven's next. Someone's looking forward to a treat," Harry said.

"Yes, and so am I, Daddy," Lily said with a giggle.

They left the shop with the sound of George's laughter following after them. As they turned to make their way to the Cauldron, Lily tugged on Harry's hand and said,

"Daddy, what's that?"

"What, sweetheart?" he asked looking first down at her and then in the direction she was pointing.

She was pointing in the direction of the entrance to Knockturn Alley. That very disreputable and, these days, little used haven of petty magical villainy. At the top of the steps leading down, stood an apparition. It was barely distinguishable as humanoid in shape but seemed to lack any real substance, shifting from seemingly solid to a minimal haze and back again. Almost as if it could sense that it was being observed, it seemed to shift so that it was 'looking' fully in their direction and then after a heartbeat or two, faded completely away.

"Lily, go back inside and stay with your Uncle George until I come in and get you."

"But, Daddy…"

"Now, Lily," he said in a little used, but never to be argued with tone.

"Yes, Daddy," she said before darting back into the shop.

Harry moved quietly across the Alley until he was at the spot where the thing, whatever it was, would have been 'standing'. He could feel a tingling on his skin as he looked at the surface of the pavement and then the steps leading down. He was startled out of his examination by a voice,

"What's all this, then?"

Harry straightened and turned and looked into the face of a young patroller, no more than two, maybe three years on the job. It was the younger wizard's turn to be startled.

"Professor Potter, sir. I'm sorry if I disturbed you, is something wrong?"

"I can't say, Mr. Smithers. My daughter and I thought we saw something. I don't suppose you did?"

"No, sir. I just saw you, your back really, hurrying across the alley and then you were crouched down, looking at the pavement."

"Has anything strange been happening here or down there?" Harry asked, indicating the steps down into Knockturn Alley."

"No, sir. It's been pretty quiet of late. And Knocturn is nearly dead these days. I don't think we've nicked anyone down there in a year or more."

Harry nodded, then said,

"Well, thank you for your concern. I suppose it might have been a trick of the light."

"Alright, sir. It was good to see you again," the young Patroller offered.

With a last nod Harry recrossed the Alley and went back into George's shop. He saw that George had Lily sitting atop one of the counters and was talking to her in a low voice. When she saw him enter she jumped down and ran to him.

"What was it, Daddy?"

"I don't know, sweetheart. It didn't leave any traces."

"I saw it, I know I did," she said fiercely.

"I saw it, too," he said, thinking how much she resembled her mother right now.

"What exactly did you think you saw, Harry?" George asked, walking up behind his niece.

"Something more than shadow, but less than real, George. Shaped sort of like a man but looking solid one moment and nearly transparent the next."

George nodded and said,

"Another one of your mysteries, Harry?"

"So it would seem, brother mine," Harry replied with a smile that seemed more grimace.

Needing the diversion more now than ever Harry took Lily to lunch. Afterwards they went to Angelina's and ordered a large sundae for Harry and a smaller serving of ice cream for Lily. No mention was made of the apparition to Angelina as she sat and chatted while they ate. Then it was a last stop at the owl emporium and Lily was beside herself when a small owl that reminded Harry of Pigwidgeon, swooped from its perch and landed on Lily's shoulder and playfully nibbled at her hair.

"Well, isn't that a surprise," said the elderly witch from behind the counter. "I've had that one for over a month and it hasn't even spared a glance for anyone until now."

In between the giggles, Lily was looking at her father with pleading eyes. Well, every child needs a hobby, he thought. Although Lily's might just turn Meadow Crest into a menagerie. He nodded to the witch who fetched a small cage from behind her counter and waved the now ecstatic Lily over to make the transfer.

"How do you think Mr. Monty is going to react to this little fellow?"

Lily looked thoughtfully at her father and said,

"I should think he would be glad for the company, Daddy."

While Mr. Monty seemed unconcerned about the latest addition to the Potter household, Mrs. Potter was less enthusiastic.

"Really, Harry? We don't have enough?"

"Oh, come on, love. It's a big house and lots of space outside. And we do have the owlry. You should have seen how it just flew right to her shoulder, like it was waiting for her to come in. Kind of like how Crookshanks picked Hermione. How could I have said no?"

"Well, with everything you have going on, let's just hope it's not some sort of spy from beyond the Vale or something," she offered sarcastically.

"It's a thought," Harry said with a serious nod, "but Mr. Monty seemed to have no problem with him, so that's a good sign."

Ginny just shook her head and went back toward the kitchen. It was true what Harry had said. When Lily introduced the small bird to Mr. Monty, he regarded him quietly for a few moments and then walked away. Lily then brought the owl, appropriately named Nibbles, up to the owlry, but Harry had a feeling it would be spending a fair amount of time in Lily's room.

At Hogwarts, it was nearly time for dinner but James Potter would not be attending in the Great Hall as usual. Instead, he was seated on a small log before a small fire deep in the forest. He was eating from what was left of his store of food that he had brought with him early that morning. It had been a chilly day for trekking along the edges of the trees on little used paths. Ronan had summoned James the day before to inform him that it was time to assist the Centaurs as they sought to determine just how secure the forest was.

The events surrounding Trevor Osborne had been disturbing enough, but now to know that the Serpent King was experiencing some form of visitations, as he had described them to the Elder, had the herd concerned.

"You have said little this day, James Potter," Ronan observed.

"I guess I'm just a little preoccupied, Ronan. This stuff with my da has me thinking a lot."

"To think is a fine thing. To overthink to the point of distraction is less so," Ronan observed.

James grimaced and looked at the legs of his pants which were wet and mud covered from the knees down, hence the need for the fire. He had been walking along a trail and failed to notice a large puddle from the previous day's rain and once he hit the wet mud he slipped and went down to his knees in the inches deep water. It was at times like this that he wished that the Centaur would yell or even laugh, but to simply be looked at with that unchanging expression while he picked himself up and tried to wipe off the worst of the mud was humiliating.

"Do not be overly concerned, James Potter. Take the lesson and look for the next. It can happen to any, even the most skilled," Ronan said, as he glanced down to his right forearm looking for any sign of a long ago healed scratch.

James looked up from examining his pants legs and said,

"Do you have any idea about what's going on, Ronan? It seems like things are just getting weirder and weirder."

"I would think from your point of view that would seem true. But the history of the herd is long and we know the stories of many strange events, even those well before the coming of your school and the wizards' village. Were you to know it in full, you would understand that the world is a place of events, great and small, that ripple out, much like those you made in the water on the trail."

"Would Morgotta tell me about some of it, to help me understand what's happening with Da?" he asked.

"Perhaps, we can but ask."

The prospect of getting some idea of what was going on brightened his outlook so that when he left Ronan at the edge of the forest with his pants legs stiff with dried mud he could be a bit more philosophical about the grilling he got from Kai when she saw him in the common room after dinner.

What he didn't mention was that before leaving the forest, Ronan had handed James the contents of his own quiver, doubling the quantity of arrows he had. Ronan did so without comment and then turned back into the forest. James made the walk up to the castle feeling a bit more chilled than he had only moments before.

Based on what happened at breakfast the next morning, it was obvious that others had seen him enter the castle looking the worse for wear. As the Gryffindors were eating, a pair of third year Slytherins walked by and one called out to James,

"Hey, Potter, what happened yesterday? You fall into the lake prowling around with your bow and arrows?"

Before James could answer, Cressida said in a voice that could be heard all through the Hall.

"Leave off, Heathcliffe," she said, with emphasis on the boy's name. "At least he gets dirty doing something useful. You do it because you're a clumsy prat. Care to explain how you got all that potting soil down your back last week?"

The Slytherin boy glared at the blonde girl but said nothing as he stalked out of the Great Hall. It had been the talk of the school earlier in the week how the boy had dropped a trowel under one of the potting tables in the Herbology lab and when he stood up after retrieving it, had hit his head on the edge of the table, causing a pot full of dirt to fall, dumping the contents on his head and down the back of his robe and shirt. To make matters worse, when he was finally able to stand, he was so dizzy he had reached out to steady himself and he got a nasty bite from the Venus Flytrap that he was supposed to be transplanting.

James looked over at his cousin's girlfriend and gave her the thumbs up. She smiled at him winsomely and winked. After breakfast, James and Kai took a walk along the lake on what was likely one of the last decent days before the weather would turn bad.

"So, how did it go yesterday, besides the mud?" she asked.

"We didn't see a thing. Not a trace of anything to do with that thing that was after the Osborne kid or anyone else that shouldn't be out there. We saw some wild hippogriffs and the wolves were pacing along for a while, but nothing unusual."

Kai's grip tightened on his hand and said,

"Wild hippogriffs and friendly wolves and you say nothing unusual. How am I possibly going to be able to keep the interest of someone who can say such things?"

James looked over at her, his face with that oh-so-serious expression, and said,

"I can't possibly think of anything I'd run into that would ever interest me more than you do."

Those big dark eyes blinked a couple of times and her smile was soft as she pulled his head down so she could kiss him. When she let him go she said,

"You Potter men really are something special."

James laughed a bit and said,

"I don't think you would say that if you had met my granddad when he was my age. I believe the best description was a complete oik."

"What? How could you say that? You're even named after him."

"That was Da and Mum's idea, not mine. I'm told he grew out of it but to hear Da tell it, even Granddad admits to it."

Kai only shook her head and took his arm in both hands and they began to walk again. She knew of course about how James' grandmother lived, for lack of a better word, in the house with her son and his family. She also knew that Professor Potter was able to speak with his dead father as well. It shouldn't be surprising, she thought, since ghosts were a common aspect of life at Hogwarts, but having it happen on such a personal level just seemed to make the Potter family that much more awe inspiring. She had her plans but sometimes she worried if this boy's destiny would take note of them.

With Harry not spending any nights at the school and no Quidditch for the Gryffindors for some weeks, nothing much of significance occurred as the Halloween Ball approached. Unless one considers Albus nearly being blown to pieces during a Potions class. It was supposed to be a routine assignment. Professor Paracelsus identified a potion that they were supposed to prepare during class. It was up to the students to identify the ingredients needed, the proper preparation sequence and then assemble the needed items for the next class.

Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff shared the class time and Albus' partner was a Hufflepuff boy. Rose was also in the class but Professor Paracelsus had purposely kept them apart. When Harry mentioned this early in the term she indicated she thought having two other students as partners would benefit those students and quite frankly she was terrified of the idea of that much brainpower working together at the same table. Harry chuckled about that on and off all day.

On the fateful day the students were working diligently preparing their potions when, as the Hufflepuff boy added the contents of a small phial to the steaming cauldron, the mixture began to hiss and throw off clouds of acrid smoke. As Albus grabbed for a pair of tongs to pull the cauldron off its burner, Professor Paracelsus shouted for everyone to get down. The Hufflepuff lad dropped immediately but Albus was setting the cauldron on the table top and was set to dump the contents of a beaker that he thought would shut down the reaction when the Professor, robes and all, vaulted the table next to them, grabbed Albus by the robe and yanked him to the floor.

He was barely under the table when the cauldron exploded with a deafening roar, spraying hot metal across the room. It didn't take long before the door to the dungeon level room flew open and Stan Shunpike and some others rushed in. Stunned students were helped up off the floor and some window grates along the top of the wall were opened to begin venting the smoke. It had taken a while for Albus and his partner to be able to answer questions since they couldn't hear them for a few hours.

Their assignment sheet was checked and yes, they had the right potion and yes, the list of ingredients they had looked up was right in every detail. Next, the wreckage of their table was examined as well as the classroom in forensic detail. The top half of the phial that was the last ingredient added was found as was the glass stopper. When the Potions teacher sniffed the glass pieces she frowned and said,

"That's not right. The smell should be distinctly sweet, something like honeysuckle. This is acrid. You're sure you boys got this out of my cabinet?"

"Yes, Professor," Albus said. "It was from the second shelf from the bottom, left hand side."

"That sounds right, but this most certainly wasn't in there. This doesn't go into a potion until fifth year. Alright, boys, off you go," she said as she looked at Harry.

"Accident?" he asked

"Not a chance. I prepared those phials myself, not two weeks ago."

"Stupid prank or attempted murder then," Harry said.

"I'd think prank. If they had made it a simple salt solution it would have bubbled over and smelled like a wet dog. Lemon juice would have given you the smoke but not the explosion. This was something more acidic, hence the explosion."

"Alright, we'll look for who had access and then start asking questions. Thank you, Professor, I understand we have you to thank for my son's life."

"You're welcome, Harry. It was nothing you wouldn't have done. Or have done," she said with a smile and a pat on his arm.

As one might imagine, when word of the accident got around, the WCKs were highly agitated, to say the least. To say it simply, they were bloody enraged. Both Rose and Albus did their best to explain what happened, but once they revealed that it appeared that someone had switched the contents of the phial, the discussion got heated and loud.

"It had to be those bleeding Slytherins," Fred said with considerable heat. "They've been talking a lot of garbage for a while now. They've been keeping things mostly to the Quidditch pitch but it looks like they've taken the next step."

The response was a number of muttered comments but surprisingly James disagreed. At least to the certainty of Fred's comment. While the other's regarded him with raised eyebrows James explained.

"You're just jumping to the first explanation that sounds right, Fred. You need to look to see if anyone else might have a reason to try and ruin Al's potion assignment. Or at the most extreme, kill him. How do you know it's not some jealous Ravenclaw that's afraid Al is going to get all the attention because of his brains? Don't jump to any conclusions and don't do anything stupid."

"Hey, who are you calling stupid?"

"I didn't call you stupid, Fred. I said don't do anything stupid. Da will handle it," James said.

"He's right, you know," Vee added.

"You, too, Vee?" Fred asked.

"When you've solved as many mysteries as Uncle 'arry, you can offer to help, cuz."

"Has anyone talked to Albus?" Domi asked, "How is he doing?"

"Yeah," James said, "I talked to him up in the hospital wing not long after it happened. His ears are ringing and he's a little shook up, but I saw something that I never thought I'd see. Albus Potter is really cheesed off."

"Well, wouldn't you be?" Fred asked. "Whoever the bleeder was who did this nearly killed him."

"I know that, but considering how smart that kid is, and the things he knows, if he finds out who did it before Da does, things could get very noisy around here," James said with a frown.

In fact, that very night, the first attempt at finding out whom the guilty party was was made. After dinner was over, Professor Sprout walked up to the podium, grasping both sides, her face set in an unusually stern expression. Her eyes passed over the assembled students and then she spoke.

"As you may know, a very serious incident occurred in the Potions classroom this morning. A large explosion occurred as a result of the wrong ingredient being added to a potion. I have it on the best authority that the only way this could have occurred is if someone deliberately switched the ingredients. Now, fortunately no one was seriously hurt but the potential was there for serious injuries and loss of life," she said, her gaze once more sweeping the Hall.

From his seat at the table Harry could see a lot of glances in the direction of the Slytherin table but the students there seemed just as uncertain as the others. No easy answers then.

"Professor Potter is going to be looking into this matter and when the perpetrator is discovered the consequences will be dire. Expulsion will be the least of it. The only hope for any leniency will be for the guilty party to come forward and own up to the crime. Whether this was intended as some form of prank or something far more serious, it doesn't matter. The consequences are the same. You're dismissed."

As one might imagine, no one came forward to take responsibility for the dastardly deed. Students walked the corridors in groups and there was a fair amount of looks ranging from sideways glancing to outright glaring. Harry made sure that all of the pieces that could be found of the destroyed cauldron and ingredient containers were gathered up and delivered to Anthony Goldstein. For one of the very few times in his life, Harry was calling in a favor from the Aurors.

In the meantime he was still looking for answers about his 'dreams'. The day before the  
Ball he was walking towards the Great Hall and he heard his voice being called.

"I say, Harry, a moment of your time, please."

"Oh, hello, Sir Nicholas. You have some information for me, I hope?"

"In a manner of speaking, Harry, a manner of speaking. Do you recall that I had paid you respects from Moaning Myrtle?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, after I had canvassed all the castle ghosts I could think of, I myself remembered that encounter so I revisited the young lady and she had an interesting observation to make. I assume you recall the manner in which the young student had expired."

"Yes, she was hiding in the girls' lavatory on the second floor and she encountered the basilisk that had been living in the Chamber of Secrets. We found that passage down to the Chamber in that bathroom."

"Indeed, yes, Harry. Well done you. Myrtle confided to me that she's been feeling very ill at ease in that bathroom these last few years. She said if she stays in there too long it makes her skin crawl. Spiritually speaking, of course."

"Hmm, well, we know the Chamber should still be there. The basilisk is dead and Tom Riddle's younger self is purged, but maybe something else is down there," Harry said, nodding. "Thank you, Sir Nicholas. I don't know what, if anything, it means but it's something to look into."

"My pleasure, Harry. If I come across anything further I'll keep you informed."

With that said, Nearly Headless Nick passed through the corridor wall. Harry considered what he had been told. Things had been pretty hectic during his last trip into the Chamber, who knows what he might have missed. Or perhaps it's something of a more recent nature. He'll have to find a way to get the sinks out of the way since he no longer had the ability to speak Parseltongue. He was also going to have to convince Ron to come along. There was no way he was going make this journey alone.

"You want me to go with you where?" Ron asked that evening.

"The Chamber of Secrets."

"Whatever for?" Ron asked.

"Remember Moaning Myrtle?"

"Of course, I do. How could I forget?"

"Well, apparently something is happening in that girls' lavatory that has her freaking out a bit. Based on past history, it sounds like something I need to look into. And I need your help," Harry said.

"Help with what, sweetheart" Ginny asked as she walked into the library with Hermione.

"He wants to take a trip to the Chamber of Secrets," Ron said.

Ginny went very pale and hugged herself as if she had just caught a polar like chill.

"Harry, how could you even think to do that?" she asked in a small voice.

Harry walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms. She did indeed feel a bit chilly.

"Luv, if there's a chance at finding something out about what's been going on, I need to take it. Besides, it's just an empty cave now. All that business from before is a long time gone."

"You hope," she said from the circle of his arms.

Harry didn't have time to dwell on the idea of the Chamber, however, because the Ball was now occupying all their minds. The absence of the dragon was likely to create quite a sensation and Harry wasn't looking forward to all the questions he would be facing. He wouldn't mind so much if he had some answers, but he had no idea where the big fellow had gone and when, or if, he'd be returning.

Ginny rebounded fairly quickly from the scare that Harry's mention of the Chamber of Secrets had given her. It helped that she had been getting them both ready for the Ball to distract her. As she was adjusting her husband's collar for the last time she said,

"Harry, promise me that we'll just go and have a good time tonight. No worries about dreams or dragons or anything else, alright?"

"That's what I'm hoping for, love. No drama, just fun," he replied hopefully.

Unfortunately for Harry, drama in the form of a rather disgruntled guardian angel who went by the name of Fleur reared its beautiful head almost immediately. When Harry and Ginny walked into the Hall there was no rushing down the stairs to sweep them up in enthusiastic embraces. Instead, he at least was greeted with a raised eyebrow and the fingers of one hand tapping out a tattoo on the table top.

"My goodness, Harry, she looks annoyed. What on earth did you do?" Ginny asked.

"More likely what I didn't do. I haven't mentioned anything that's been going on to her. You know how she can be when she thinks she's being ignored."

"Oh, Harry. Well, if anything is an indication of your state of mind, it's that. Good luck, you're going to need it."

Harry nodded grimly, mentally tightened his belt and assumed the most innocent face he could contrive short of a magical disguise. He and Ginny ascended the dais stairs and approached the table. Bill was studiously avoiding looking at either of them. Fleur, however, appeared to be challenging Harry to say something first and most likely, the wrong thing.

"Hello, there, you two," Harry said.

"Hello, Harry. Hi there, little sister," Bill said, turning to face them, his smile small but genuine.

Harry, in what was likely one of the bravest things he ever did, met Fleur's gaze and maintained his pleasant expression. His sister in law regarded him with narrowed eyes and said,

"So, 'arry. Eet ees not eenough that you deesregard my feeleengs, but now you mock me?"

"Fleur, if I were to mock you, I would do eet weeth a voice that sounded sometheeng like thees, yes?"

Bill went into a fit of coughing and Ginny had to turn away to hide her reaction. Fleur's eyebrows shot up and then she squinted at him again and said,

"So eet 'as come to thees, mon frère? You no longer need me so eenstead you taunt me."

Harry pulled out the chair next to Fleur and sat down, shifting it sideways to get as close to her as he could. He took hold of her hand in both of his and looked into those crystal blue eyes and said,

"Fleur, you know that I could never have gotten to where I am today without your help and moral support. There was a time when I wouldn't have hesitated to seek you out for your assistance. But you did too good a job, big sister, and now I'm all grown up and able to look after myself."

"And thees ees 'ow you treat your sister? The one who has done so much for you?" she countered, refusing to give ground.

Harry seemed to consider this and then said,

"Well, I suppose I could pull your hair or maybe dip it in an inkwell, but its such beautiful hair, I'm sure I'd get into all sorts of trouble for that."

Fleur held her expression for perhaps ten seconds before the stern façade crumbled and she began to laugh, a throaty chuckle that told those around her that the situation had been defused. She reached out with her free hand and grabbed the back of Harry's head and pulled him close and began to rain kisses on his cheeks and forehead.

Ginny took the opportunity to come around the table and give her big brother a hug and kiss hello. Fleur concluded her affectionate assault on Harry and then pushed him back in his chair.

"So, leetle brother, per'aps now that you are done playeeng the clown, you weell tell me what 'as been 'appeneeng?"

"Hasn't Bill told you?"

"Harry, I've told Fleur what I know but frankly that's not a great deal," Bill said.

With a shrug and a nod, Harry filled Fleur in on what had happened, what he was doing to try and figure out what was going on, and who was helping. When he was done he looked at Fleur and said,

"So, sis, what kind of help can you offer?"

Fleur blinked twice and then shook her head. Then she reached out with her long slender yet surprisingly strong arms and pulled Harry into a hug. When she released him, Harry said,

"That's it?"

"I am afraid so, mon frère. Eet seems you 'ave grown up. And grown beyond my abeelity to 'elp. Eet weell 'ave to be just 'ugs from now on," she said with small pout.

"Coming from you that should be more than enough, Fleur."

With Fleur mollified, and the subsequent conversation between her and Ginny, Harry turned his attention to the various groupings of students at the tables around the Great Hall. His gaze was drawn to the table around which sat James and Kai, practically in the same chair, as well as Vee, Dominique, Cecil, Fred and Cressida.

Albus and Rose seemed conspicuous by their absence, but then again, neither one were what he would consider social creatures. If neither one put in an appearance he'd make sure he'd mention it to them.

As he watched them, they were in turn watching him. Vee looked at her cousin and said,

"It looks like Mummy and Uncle 'arry were having some kind of serious discussion, but it looks like it ended alright."

"Your mom must have gotten wind of what's been going on with Da so she was probably grilling him for details," James said.

"Excuse me? It's just her way of letting Uncle 'arry now she cares," Vee replied defensively.

James wisely chose not to pursue this line of discussion. In fact, when the music started he was the one to get up and gently pull Kai to the dance floor. When they began moving around to the music Kai looked at him quizzically and said,

"This is a pleasant surprise. I'm the one that usually has to drag you out here. What's up?"

James held her a little tighter and said,

"Hey, you haven't had to drag me anywhere in quite a while. Actually, I just thought it best to cut off the discussion about Da. It just tends to get everyone keyed up."

"What do you think is happening, sweetheart?" Kai asked.

"I don't know, but something is. It's been happening for years, I think. But it's way over my head. I think the only thing we can do to help is be prepared when things start to go really wrong."

Kai chose not to say anything else, she just pulled James tightly against her and put her head on his shoulder. The adults were out on the floor as well and Ginny was talking to Harry in low tones.

"What do you think is going to happen tonight, Harry? Dragonwise, I mean."

"No idea, love. I still don't know what he did last year. It looked like he was there but it didn't feel like he was. I know how he feels about the place, but he seemed pretty definite about being gone a long time."

In fact, they found out about half way through the third dance, when Harry and Fleur would spin each other around the floor with reckless abandon. With a sound like a freight train at full throttle, a large dark bulk roared over the roof. Harry frowned because firstly, it was too early in the evening, and secondly the dragon he just saw didn't look like his friend and confidant.

What really got his attention was when the sound pitched up again and a second dragon shot across the magical ceiling. By now everyone was moving toward the doors and out onto the grass in front of the castle. To the amazement of all, three massive dragons were now executing a series of aerial maneuvers above the school grounds. They soared and dived, flamed and roared.

From what Harry could tell they appeared to be a Welsh Green, a Hebridean Black, and the largest, a Hungarian Horntail. All lesser dragons but the biggest of each he had ever seen. That they were there at the bidding of his friend was obvious. How it happened, he hadn't the slightest idea. It also didn't escape him that lesser dragons had played a role in his latest 'dream'. The air suddenly got a bit chillier.

The aerial display lasted for nearly half an hour. The Welsh Green even managed a brief touchdown on the ridge of the roof above the Great Hall. Then they were off, in a triangular formation, rocketing over the lake and disappearing above the hills beyond Hogsmeade.

"Well, Harry, there's your answer. Your big friend is off somewhere but he's still keeping an eye on the place," Bill said.

Harry simply nodded. He was glad that school still had its guardians but the idea that there was some link between the greater and lesser dragons, per his 'dream', nagged at him. He needed answers.

The following morning, Harry stood outside the second floor girls' bathroom door talking with Stan Shunpike.

"You're sure it will take you that long to open up that passageway, Stan?"

"Oh, aye, Professor. It's the water, innit. If'n you don't mind some flooding I could bang it open in next to no time. But I needs to find the valves and hope they work. So, two, three days is what'll take. Sorry, sir."

"I understand, Stan. Can't have water flowing through the corridors and down the stairs. Do what you have to and let me know when it's ready," Harry replied.

"Yes, sir."

Harry walked back to his office and sat down behind his desk to do what he hated more than anything else. Waiting. He drummed his fingers on the desktop while he considered the situation. What else was there? What was he overlooking? Or was he looking for too much? Maybe the source of all this was sitting in his desk chair right now.

If he was to believe what others had told him, he possessed magical abilities seldom ever seen. It was plausible therefore that he could be projecting during those vivid dreams and causing the things that had happened. And couldn't he be the source of the dreams as well? Then a thought occurred to him and he got up and left his office.

Within in a few minutes he was standing in front of the door to Firenze's classroom. He knocked on the door and waited. He could hear the sound of hooves on the stone near the door and then the door swung open.

"Friend Harry Potter, how can I be of help?"

"Must I be looking for help, my friend? Maybe I just stopped by to see how you were getting on?" Harry replied.

Firenze regarded Harry with his usual taciturn expression and then said,

"When one considers that you have more unusual phenomenon to investigate as well as a most serious, may I say, Centaur like expression I'd think a social visit would be most improbable."

Harry chuckled a bit and then said,

"Ever the observant one, Friend Firenze. In fact, I'm looking for some sort of, I don't know, confirmation that what I think is happening, is in fact, happening. The alternative is that I'm having some sort of delusional dreams, I suppose."

Harry looked at his friend who regarded him silently for a few moments and then waved Harry into the classroom with a small gesture of his hand. It had been some time since he had visited this room and it remained unchanged. It looked like a segment of the forest had been directly transplanted into the castle, night sky and all.

He had to think that Madame Levandre, also know as Lavender Brown, was all too familiar with it. Firenze came to a stop in the center of the room, where a small clearing provided an unfettered view of the sky. Harry recalled reclining on the moss, looking at the stars and seeing nothing more than the eons old light from distant flaming balls of gas.

"Friend Harry Potter, you are well aware that your destiny has been subjected to intense scrutiny by myself and your friend, Lavender Brown. You are also aware that we are sworn to never reveal that destiny on to you for fear that such knowledge would unduly influence your thoughts and actions in ways that could unravel the threads of that destiny."

"Then what is the purpose of all this effort? Is my life no more than a curiosity to you, to be viewed as some form of entertainment?" Harry asked, frustrated.

Firenze's expression remained unchanging, but his stance and the set of his humanlike self suggested to Harry that a challenge had been made and was likely to be accepted. But then the Centaur relaxed and gestured for Harry to be seated on a small log. Firenze then folded his legs and reclined on the moss.

"That you would suggest such a thing is a sure sign of your frustration and confusion. As such no offense will be taken. As you should know, a matter of such import would not be taken so lightly. Not by a Centaur, and not by those you call friends. All that can be said is that the knowledge gained by our efforts will be used to insure that when necessary, needed preparations will be made and ready."

"And nothing you know can be used at the moment?" Harry prodded.

Firenze gazed up at the night sky and said nothing. Finally he looked at Harry and said,

"Continue as you have, Deputy Headmaster. Your path remains true, for now."


	4. Chapter 4

Harry Potter and the Magic War

Chapter 4

Harry stood in front of a section of his library shelving, leafing through the pages of his hand written index, looking for anything that might help shed some light on his current mystery. It wasn't until he felt a soft touch on the back of his head that he realized that his mother was standing behind him. He turned around into a pair of barely there arms that still managed to convey all the warmth and love of a mother for her only son.

"Hey, Mum," Harry said with a smile before he slapped himself on the forehead. "Oh, for Merlin's sake, I should have talked to you right from the start."

"I have felt a little neglected lately, sweetheart. You've seemed fairly preoccupied of late."

"That's a way to put it. Please, Mum, sit down."

Harry took his favorite chair and his mother 'sat' on the couch across from him. He was always a little amazed to see this young woman sitting across from him when they had their talks, realizing that she was his mother. But when he looked more closely at her eyes, he could see the years she truly wore, the twenty one while she was alive and the nearly twice that dead.

"I imagine you know what I'm trying to figure out, right, Mum?"

"In a manner of speaking, dear. Your two most learned friends have been puzzling over it for some time now. All this business about your visiting strange dimensions or what have you."

"That's right, but I should have talked to you. You've been living, sort of, on two planes for all these years. What is it really like? Can you tell me?"

Lily considered her son's request for a moment and then said,

"Well, sweetheart, I've never really thought about it. It doesn't feel all that different than when I was alive, but perhaps that's just because I've grown so accustomed to it. As you've grown so strong I've been able to come and go as I please. And as you know I can interact with my family physically."

"Okay, but what's it like in that place where I can visit with Dad and my two learned friends, as you call them? All I see is the gray mist. Is that what it's like for you, and them?" Harry asked.

"No, dear, it's not. That's what you see because that's what you think you should be seeing, I think. For us it's a pleasant enough space. We refer to it as the salon."

"And you just sit there? When your not here I mean? Isn't it boring after all these years?" he asked.

"Well, as you know, sweetheart, I spend a lot of time here and your family is never boring. Merlin and Dumbledore are never at a loss for something to discuss, although it almost always turns to you at some point. Your father had some issues at first, especially after I was able to start manifesting here at the house. But he's found a way to break through, I'd guess you'd say, and watch Quidditch matches anywhere he chooses. I have a feeling the other two helped him there."

"Dad is haunting Quidditch stadiums?" Harry asked in amazement.

"I wouldn't say haunt, dear. But whatever he's doing, he enjoys it immensely. He's looking forward to your next charity event," Lily said with a grin.

Harry could only laugh and then asked,

"Do you ever see things like that, you know, something strange trying to come through, like it's breaking a barrier?" he asked.

"I've never seen anything, dear, but there are times when we hear some things, or more often, feel that something is out there. But I will say that it never felt threatening, if that means something to you."

"Not at the moment, but it's another piece of the puzzle. I'll just have to figure out how it fits."

"Harry, darling, would you be open to some motherly advice?"

"Of course, Mum."

"Don't get obsessed with what you're trying to do here, dear. The narrow view may blind you to what else is out there. The more you see the more you'll know. Your friend Ron was right. Look for the evidence."

"Alright, Mum. Sounds like good advice. Particularly when I don't really know what I'm looking for," Harry said with a smile.

He was going to get his chance to look for evidence the next morning. Stan had told him the day before that the water had been shut off and he had pulled the sink and tile backing away to reveal the opening that was the large pipe. Harry, Ron and three members of the Special Tactical Squad had assembled in the girl's lavatory equipped with brooms, wands, and coveralls.

Stan was going to remain in the room making sure no one did anything to block the pipe. One of the Specials would remain near the exit as well as keep an eye on the cavern on that side of the rock fall. The rest would go in with Ron and Harry. Harry approached the opening and Ron grabbed hold of his shoulder and said,

"Where do you think your going, mate?"

"Into the pipe and down to the Chamber, where do you think?"

"You're not going first, that's for sure," Ron said as he gestured with his head to the nearest Special.

The compact Auror slid into position, took the broom offered by one of his comrades and began the slide without hesitation. Harry looked at Ron with raised eyebrows. Ron gave him a bit of a smile.

"Sorry, mate. Orders. If anything happens to you I have three options. The first is that I spend the rest of my career manning the dock at Azkaban, which would be a good thing because it might, just might, keep me safe from options two and three, which are my wife, and my sister. So you go nowhere first and nowhere alone."

Harry thought to argue, but he understood the position Ron was in and he was the one that put him there. So he stood his ground while the second Auror assumed the position and then disappeared into the pipe. Ron then gestured to Harry and said,

"After you, Professor."

Harry gave his best friend and brother a smirk and then climbed into the pipe. Ron handed him his broom and then watched as he dropped out sight. For Harry the journey through the pipe was just as he had remembered it. It was fast, dirty and a bit disorienting. At least this time when he hit bottom he had a pair of strong hands waiting to get him to his feet.

"Thanks," he said.

The Auror simply nodded. Harry was familiar with the wizard, one of the younger holdovers from his days as chief and he wasn't completely sure but he couldn't remember the man saying more than a dozen words. But he was smart and tough as old iron.

Ron was the next to drop from the pipe and in a few minutes more, the last Auror was through. Lumos spells lit up the cave. Not too far away were some tatters of rotted snake skin and Ron looked back at Harry in shared memory.

"You're sure that thing is still dead?" Ron asked.

Harry raised his eyebrows at Ron who couldn't help but grin.

"You know what I mean, mate. You knowing all about serpents like you do. Any chance of another one being in there?"

"Anything is possible, Ron, but I'm willing to bet, no. If the door is open and with the pipe unblocked, I'd think we'd have heard of something if one was running around down here. I more concerned about something that won't be quite so easy to see," Harry said.

"Well, I have to tell you, Harry. When we were students, it was dangerous enough, but it was a lot simpler. Plenty of wicked witches and wizards and that whole Slytherin bunch, but like you said, at least you could see 'em coming at you," Ron finished with a chuckle.

With a hand signal Ron had one of the Specials take position where he could watch both the pipe and this end of the pile of rock. A thought occurred and Harry turned to Ron and asked.

"Ron, I remember the door closing when we left that first time. I know you got in imitating parseltongue but I hope the door is still open."

"I thought it was pure luck that second time and I was afraid the doors would close on us in there, trapping Hermione and me. So we jammed all kinds of rocks and bones to keep them open. I think we did a good job."

Harry nodded.

"You always do, both of you. Come on."

With an Auror leading as well as bringing up the rear, the four wizards climbed through the hole that Ron had made all those years ago. They shifted a few more rocks to let the larger adults through more easily. Once they were on their feet, Harry looked up at the ceiling, every bit as fractured as it was the first time he was there.

When they arrived at the doors, they were still wedged firmly open. If they did close by some ill chance while they were inside, Harry was fairly confident he could burn his way through but he wasn't sure the rest of the tunnel would hold up. As he entered the chamber that held such disturbing memories for both he and Ginny he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He looked at Ron and the others for any sign of reaction but if they felt anything, they gave no sign.

The pillars still had their emerald green eyes but some showed signs of damage from being hit by the basilisk at it had tried to deal with both Harry and Fawkes. Straight ahead loomed the statue of Salazar Slytherin, its mouth still open. Harry studied it for a few minutes and then muttered,

"And what secrets do you know, Salazar?"

The Aurors fanned out to poke and prod. While their specialty was magical combat, they had been instructed by Anthony Goldstein about what to look for.

"Ron, would you do me a favor, mate? Would you go help the others? I need to try and concentrate and it's easier to do that while I'm alone."

"Sure, Harry. Just shout if you need anything."

Harry approached the slowly collapsing skeleton of the basilisk. He noticed that the great jaws were minus a few teeth. Some of the ribs had fallen away from the spine. Harry absently thought that he should have checked with Professor Paracelsus to see if basilisk bones had any uses. He could also see the stain from the ink that had poured from the stricken diary. He finally came to a stop at the base of the statue and looked up into the face of Salazar.

He didn't really have the chance to examine it the first time he was here. Casting a strong light from his wand he examined it as best he could but unless the sculptor was being intentionally unkind, this particular founder wasn't much to look at.

"What's your role in all this, old fellow?" Harry thought to himself.

"You presuppose much, young wizard. Who are you to question the likes of me?" the thought came back to him.

Harry was startled but he had experienced many strange and unusual things so he recovered quickly.

"I am Harry Potter, Professor of Transfiguration and Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts."

"You sound like a Gryffindor with all that pride."

Harry found this amusing considering the outpouring of arrogance and condescension but perhaps he could use that. He tried to assume an air of bemused interest and said,

"Are you the ghost of Salazar Slytherin?"

"I am no ghost, drifting about and moaning my tale of woe. I exist in this place as a result of the great magics that were performed here. But I have been asleep, I suppose, for a long time. For a time it seemed as if something had been occurring here but that too has ceased. It is only recently that I have become more aware. How is it that you have come to this place?"

"I was here once before, a number of years ago."

"Explain."

It was said in a very commanding, somewhat Snapelike, way. So Harry, standing silently in front of the statue while the other's searched, explained how he and Ron had come to find the Chamber of Secrets and about Tom Riddle and the diary.

"So this Riddle was likely my final descendant, is that what you are saying?"

"So it would appear."

"And his attempt at taking over the magical world was thwarted by you, as a student, and a group of other students?"

"That's largely correct. There were others, as well."

"He was a fool, then. Worse than a fool, a deluded idiot," the voice said, spitting out the words as if they were poison, which, in a way, they were. "A half blood that claimed to be the Heir of Salazar Slytherin? He may have had some of the blood, but not enough. What those three did to destroy the essence of what was is unforgiveable, even now. Go, take yourself from here. Do not return lest I turn the serpent on you."

"You can't. The basilisk is dead. Its skeleton lies here before you."

"LIES! That is not possible. It could not be killed."

"It was. I was here when it happened," Harry said carefully, not knowing what, if any, power the voice still may hold.

"Show me. Let me see with your eyes."

Harry turned and looked upon the bones of the once unassailable beast. While no words were spoken he could feel the despair, the sense of loss.

"All is lost then. If the basilisk could not endure, all is lost. The line of Slytherin is truly dead."

With that the voice was gone from Harry's head. Even its presence could no longer be felt. It was then that Harry could hear Ron's voice.

"Harry, mate. I think we are just about done here. Have you found anything?"

"Possibly. Let's get out of here and I'll explain it to you somewhere a bit more cheerful. This is nothing but a tomb now."

Harry, Ron and the two Aurors worked their way through the opening in the rock pile and approached the end of the pipe.

"Anything unusual out here?"

"No, sir, not really. Some voices were carrying down the pipe, but I don't know if they were from the girls' lavatory or somewhere else up there."

"Alright, well, we're done here. Up you go."

The Auror nodded, mounted his broom and then lit up his wand with 'Lumos'. Bending low over the handle he began to move up the pipe. The rest followed at five minute intervals with Harry once more in the middle of the pack. When the last Auror arrived at the lavatory Stan Shunpike let out a visible sigh of relief.

"I'm glad ta see ya all back, Professor. I wasn't sure how we'd get you back if anythin' went wrong."

"Thanks for the concern. And all your hard work. I owe you a big favor," Harry said.

"No need fer that, Professor. All part of the job," Stan said, although he looked gratified.

Harry turned to the others and said,

"And thanks to you all. It wasn't my intention to bring Aurors into it, except Ron, but I appreciate the effort."

"No worries, sir" replied the senior of the three. "It's been an interesting day," he finished with a small smile.

Harry walked with Ron and the three to the front entrance and Ron sent his team back to the Ministry. Then the two walked to Harry's office without a word. Once inside with the door closed Ron said,

"So, what's the story? You looked like you were in a trance whenever I checked on you."

"Not a trance, a conversation. With Salazar Slytherin, apparently."

"Pull the other one, it's got bells on."

"Come on, Ron, you know I'm not having a go at you. Not about stuff like this."

"I didn't see a ghost. Was he in the statue?" Ron asked.

"I don't know for sure. He was a voice in my head. It sounded like it might have been like that diary that Ginny wound up with. Sort of a living memory."

"So, what was it like?"

"In some ways he reminded me of Voldemort, and Lucius Malfoy, and Professor Snape on a bad day. Lots of arrogance and the whole pure blood nonsense."

"So do you think there's any connection with what has been going on?" Ron asked.

"I don't know, Ron, but he said something interesting. He mentioned something about having been asleep for a long time but recently becoming more aware. He also mentioned something that sounded like he was vaguely aware of what Riddle was up to when he was down there."

Ron sat in his chair, looking up at the ceiling and then said,

"Harry, he said recently becoming more aware. Do you think it's possible he's been influencing the Slytherins, maybe even unintentionally? Those gits have been getting more belligerent in the last few years."

"I suppose it's possible. If so, then we need to keep an eye on them. When he realized the basilisk was dead, he was really upset. It felt like he went away. I don't even know if he's still down there."

"Sounds like a job for the clan kids. I'm sure they'd be happy to give you some help, Harry," Ron said with a perfectly straight face.

Harry scowled back and then said,

"I wouldn't even have to ask. They watch those characters like hawks as it is."

"Harry, would you mind some free advice?"

"Not at all, what have you got?" Harry replied.

"There's something going on here, you know and so do I. Unfortunately, so do they. You've seen how creative they can get trying to find ways to help. Beat them to it. Find something relatively harmless for them to do. It might distract them enough to keep them out of real trouble."

Harry looked at his best friend and nodded.

"You might have the right of it, Ron. Pleading, threats and cajoling haven't done much good. I'll see what I can come up with."

Ron was on his way shortly thereafter while Harry sat back to think. Was there a common thread in all of this and how far back did it go? If it goes back to Riddle as a student, Harry couldn't be a catalyst. Or could he? Was Riddle a catalyst in his time? Easy, Harry, he thought. Don't get carried away. One step at a time. There was at least one thing that he could think to do.

That afternoon after classes Harry was sitting in a chair in the Room of Requirements. Around him were arrayed his sons, nieces, nephews and assorted important non family members. He was actually a little amazed at how quickly the word spread for them to meet there. He wondered if one of them came up with the equivalent of Hermione's galleon.

"Alright, now in the past I've done my best to keep you out of the way of the more hazardous aspects of my life. And some of you have managed to find a way to involve yourselves, in spite of my best efforts. Well, as it turns out, this time, I do need some help."

This got everyone's attention because they were certain that this was going to be another mind your own business lecture.

"What is it you need, Da?" James asked.

"I know that you're all aware that something has been going on with me concerning dreams and things happening at the school. It's possible that this is just a symptom of something much bigger. What I need for you to do is to keep an eye on things. I need to know if there is anything stranger than usual happening. That includes with students, ghosts, paintings, all of it."

As Harry spoke he could see eyes lighting up on most faces, but James looked quizzical and Rose had a smirk. Albus was unreadable.

"One more thing and this is very important. This is about observation. No probing or prodding. No sneaking around or going places where you have no business. Understood?"

There were a number of nods and a few 'yes, sir's. With a nod of his own, he stood up and made to leave the Hall for the trip home. As he walked to the small door near the dais, James detached himself from the rest and met Harry at the door.

"Have things gotten that bad, Da?"

Harry smiled a bit and said,

"Not really, son, but to be honest it's a little hard to tell. I need the extra eyes to get a better idea of what's going on. And, young Mr. Potter," Harry said, putting a hand on his son's shoulder, "I'm relying on you to keep the rest in hand. I know you aren't the oldest, but you have more sense and the benefit of Ronan's training."

"I would have thought Albus."

"No, you're brother has the intelligence, but it's a little narrowly focused. And he hasn't any experience. Listen to his advice but I'm counting on you, alright?"

"Sure, Da," James said, standing a little taller and straightening his shoulders. "Whatever you need."

Harry smiled and then turned and left the Hall. James walked back to the table and listened to the discussion taking place. He was letting them have their say but it was obvious that he was going to have to start reining them in very shortly. Rose and Albus drifted back to the Ravenclaw table to get to work on their assignments. Rose was the first to break the silence.

"You know what your dad is doing, don't you?"

"Of course. Give them something simple and relatively safe to do and keep them distracted from doing something stupid and dangerous," Albus replied.

"Think it will work?"

"For a while. James will do what he can to keep it from getting too ridiculous but sooner or later?" Albus just shrugged and shook his head, looking over at his cousins and brother and the already animated discussion.

Early the following morning Harry was preparing to mobilize another asset in his quest for knowledge and understanding. He was standing at the head of the trail that led from Hagrid's hut into the Forest. A Centaur hunter was already carrying his message to Morgotta. Some ideas had formed the prior evening as he considered what he had seen and heard in the Chamber of Secrets and he needed the assistance of the Loremaster.

He was deep in this line of thinking when he heard the sound of hooves on the packed earth and stones of the trail. He looked up to see Morgotta approaching.

"Good morning, Loremaster," Harry offered with a touch of teasing formality.

"And a fair day to you, Serpent King," Morgotta replied with a bit of a head nod.

"I apologize for intruding on you so early in the day, Friend Morgotta, but I am in need of your assistance."

"It is yours for the asking, Friend Harry Potter, if it is within my ability to do so."

"I don't believe that will be an issue. What I need is for you to dig as deeply as you can into the lore of the herd and find whatever references you can to phenomenon similar to what happened with Trevor."

"You refer to the beast that Ronan and your offspring encountered?" she asked.

"Yes, I need to know if there has been things like that that have happened in the past. Sudden appearances and disappearances. Strange creatures appearing or familiar ones disappearing."

Morgotta nodded and she gave Harry a critical look.

"You have suspicions, Friend Harry Potter?"

"I have an inkling of a thought that might turn into an idea with some more information. But I am wondering if there might be something going on that goes beyond dreams and maybe has deeper roots than my lifetime," Harry replied.

Morgotta nodded and offered just the hint of a smile.

"It would be my honor to assist in this effort, Friend Harry Potter. I will gather my fellow Loremasters and we will wring what information our lore has to the last drop."

Harry sighed a bit and said,

"Thank you, my friend. Having the herd to turn to is a source of great comfort."

Morgotta cocked her head and said,

"You seek to tease me, Friend Harry Potter?"

"Not really. It's an early morning after a late night of thinking. I suppose it's making me a little silly. I do appreciate the selflessness with which the herd has supported me over the years. There have been times when I wish that…well, never mind."

"Please, Friend Harry Potter. Complete your thought."

"I was going to say it might be nice to know what it's like to be an integral part of the herd and experience what you explained that time. How you can know where another herdmate is, that sort of thing. To feel that much a part of a group, a family."

"But I believe you are a part of a family, are you not? The red headed ones are your family, yes?"

"By assimilation, Friend Morgotta, as with the herd. You both saw a lost orphan and took him in, made him one of your own. But deep, deep down, that very basic connection isn't there. Not even with the two people who are my only blood relatives," Harry said, looking at the striking Centaur Loremaster but not really seeing her. "It would be nice, just once, to feel what that is like."

He thanked her for her willingness to assist and they shared the two handed grip that was theirs alone. As the Loremaster watched, a somewhat somber Harry walked away. It had taken all her resolve to leave their parting at just the hand clasp. It was apparent that Trevor Osborne was not the only orphan in need of comforting.

James Potter, son of Harry, had no such issues. He was an integral part of a large family with a myriad of aunts and uncles, grandparents, both living and dead, and a mass of cousins and siblings. And right now he was doing his best to keep a portion of that mass from going critical. Unlike his brother, James had no idea what a muggle nuclear reactor was, but if he did, he'd consider himself the control rod, trying to keep the young neutrons under control.

"For the last time, for Merlin's sake, no one is going to burglarize the Slytherin dormitory and common room during their next Quidditch match," he said. "For one thing you can't count on them all going to the match and if someone gets caught, we'd lose so many points we'd lose the cup next year as well. Not to mention giving those manky gits something to hold over our heads for years. So forget it."

"Hey, who made you the grand high wizard around here?" Fred asked.

James looked at him with raised eyebrows until Fred just shook his head in disgust.

Cressida put her hand on Fred's arm and said,

"Freddie, remember what your uncle said. Just observation. No going where we don't belong."

"Yeah, but if those rotters are up to something, we belong in that dungeon they call home looking for proof."

The look she gave Fred was even worse than James. He sat back in his chair and sulked. Later that evening, James and Kai were sitting in the Gryffindor common room, sharing one of the large cushioned chairs.

"I'm a little worried about you, sweetheart."

"Why?"

"You seem to be taking on a lot of responsibility with all this business. The forest, the tunnels, now helping your dad by trying to herd the cats you call cousins. How are you going to handle it all?" she asked, her dark eyes full of concern.

James pulled her in tightly and said,

"With the help of the best girlfriend a guy could ever have and the savviest street kid in London."

She squinted at him for a moment and then reached up to kiss his cheek.

"I'll do what I can, you know that. What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"I want to go back into that tunnel that came out in someone's subbasement. I think it could prove important," he replied.

"But that ladder was a total wreck. What are you going to do? Smuggle brooms down there?"

"No, I don't think you could get a broom to float up through that shaft. We need to find a way to reinforce that ladder," he replied.

"How in the world are you going to do that?"

"I'm not. My brother is. That bloke can fix anything and maybe it will take his mind off that blowup in the Potions lab. Cecil and I are taking him down there tomorrow after dinner. Wanna tag along?"

"Of course I do. Who else is going to keep you three out of trouble?"


	5. Chapter 5

Harry Potter and The Magic War

Chapter 5

"You're mad, you know that?" Albus proclaimed in a loud whisper.

"What are you talking about, Al. It's not that bad. Besides, you're the mechanical wizard. You can fix anything," James replied casually.

Kai and Cecil exchanged knowing glances while the two brothers discussed the topic at hand, the decrepit ladder at the end of the second tunnel that James, Cecil and Kai had previously explored.

"This isn't about fixing, James. It's about replacing, reconstruction, maybe resurrection. Look at this mess. The wood is rotted and the nails are nearly rusted away to nothing. And what about these brackets? They're corroded half way through. Even Dad couldn't transfigure this mess into anything strong enough to hold even one person's weight," Albus protested. "Why are you thinking about doing this?"

"Isn't it obvious, Al? Someone built these tunnels for a reason and I doubt it was to sneak into Hogsmeade for a butterbeer. These are escape tunnels for when things go bad. You remember the stories about when Voldemort attacked the castle. They were fighting in the front hall and the corridors. What if that was to happen again, but with more evil witches and wizards and whatever?

"If we have these tunnels ready, we could help get kids out, or even come at the bad guys from behind. This is important, Al."

Albus regarded his brother with his usual dispassionate expression.

"I'll give it some thought. No promises but I'll see what I can come up with."

"Thanks, Al. That's all I can ask."

With Albus' promise to consider the problem in hand, James led his band back up through the tunnel and into the dungeon. They had a bit of time before curfew so they didn't exactly run out of the dungeon but they did hurry. With Cecil and Albus on their way to their own dormitories, Kai and James made their way to the tower.

"So, what do you think, sweetheart? Do you think he'll come up with something?"

"Absolutely. My concern is how he does it. For all I know he'll do it with magic ropes and flying carpets."

Kai was still chuckling as they climbed through the hole into the common room. That same evening Harry and Ron were sitting in the library discussing what they found, and didn't, in the Chamber of Secrets.

"I'm sorry we didn't come up with more, Harry. Either someone was a really good housekeeper down there or it was hardly ever used. We scratched up some samples of that big ink stain and gathered up some bits of bone. Hopefully those were just from the basilisk's lunch and not something more sinister but we'll find out soon enough."

"I'm thinking that maybe we should have looked into whatever space was behind that statue. That's where that big snake was when I went in there after Ginny."

"You're not thinking about going back in there, are you?"

"Not anytime soon. I think the really important part was my discussion with Slytherin. I'm beginning to think there is so much more out there and we haven't a clue as to what it all is," Harry said.

"I dunno, Harry, I think you have a few, you just need a lot more to make it all fit together," Ron offered. "What's next?"

Harry ran a hand through his already disheveled hair and sighed.

"I'm not sure, mate. I'm waiting to hear what the Centaur loremasters come up with, as well as Professor Dumbledore and Merlin. I supposed I could use that as an excuse to take a break. I do have school to worry about," Harry said with a smirk.

As it happened, one of those school issues presented itself at lunch the following day. When Harry was stepping down off the dais he was met by Estelle Mickelthwaite at the bottom of the steps.

"Yes, Miss Mickelthwaite?"

"Excuse me, Professor. Would it be possible to talk to you? In private, please."

Harry regarded the girl. As a sixth year she had grown into a moderately tall young lady, with a serious set to her face. She was also possessed of more confidence then when she first arrived at Hogwarts. Perhaps it stemmed from the knowledge that her strength in witchcraft had grown nearly exponentially since then.

"Alright, Miss Mickelthwaite, would right after classes this afternoon be suitable? My office?"

"That would be fine, sir. Thank you."

"I'll see you then."

Harry made to leave by the side door as the young witch went back toward the senior end of the Gryffindor table. As he stepped out into the corridor he almost collided with another young witch.

"Well, Miss Alice Longbottom, what a pleasant surprise to see you outside of Transfiguration class. What are you up to, young lady?"

"Hello, Uncle…I mean, Professor Potter. I came to see my dad," she said in a quiet voice.

"You're right on time, he's just coming down from lunch. So, how goes the training?"

"It's going very well, thank you. And I mean that, sir, thank you for making this happen for me," the girl said happily.

"No need to thank me, it makes a great deal of sense and I'm sure I'll be enjoying the benefits for years to come," Harry said with a grin. "Ah, here's your father. I'll see you in class."

Harry couldn't help but smile when he thought back on the discussion he had had with Alice about half way through her first year. She had been deeply conflicted by what she was learning at school as opposed to what she wanted to do. She had approached Harry while he was at his usual place and despite her apprehension explained to him that she wasn't happy and thought maybe Hogwarts wasn't the right place for her.

It took a few questions but Harry discovered that what the girl wanted to do was cook in the kitchen at the Leaky Cauldron and take over the running of it one day. What would all the work in potions, charms, astrology and the rest have to do with that? It felt like a complete waste of time and was frustrating her a great deal. When Harry asked if her parents knew this she said no, how could she tell her father, a Professor at Hogwarts, that she didn't want to be there.

When Harry asked how was it she was able to tell him, as Deputy Head, she got a bit wide eyed and then said that it was because she was desperate and her Uncle Harry was the best there was at solving problems. Harry told her he would think of something. The solution came to him the following evening when he was at home, sitting in the kitchen after a fine meal and he saw Nibs cleaning up the stove.

The next morning he sat Alice down in his office and explained what he had come up with. If she would commit to learning the basics of witchcraft, even with an eye toward using it for cookery and running the Cauldron, he would get her access to the kitchen and training from the house elves. He didn't get a chance to say much more, as she was around the desk in an instant hugging him around the neck.

And here she was now, well on her way to being the best cook that the Cauldron ever had. But more importantly, she was happy and doing quite well with her other studies. Alice's parents, Hannah and Neville, were quite pleased themselves. So much so that Harry couldn't remember the last time he was allowed to pay for a meal. He was now hoping that he could deal with Estelle in the same fashion, because he was sure that she had a problem she needed to discuss with him.

Harry's instincts proved reliable. That afternoon he found himself sitting across his desk from the young witch. Her expression was pensive.

"So, Miss Mickelthwaite, what can I do for you?"

"Well, sir, it's not going to be all that long before I graduate and I haven't the slightest idea what I'm going to do. I'll accept your judgment that I'm a particularly strong witch, but what am I to do with that?"

Harry leaned forward to rest his arms on his desk.

"What advice did you get from Professor Weasley last year?"

"He thought I'd do very well as a Patroller. He also thought that with my farm background and how I got along with Norbie and Wullie he thought something to do with animals would be good," she replied.

Harry was watching the girls face and how she was holding her hands.

"What aren't you telling me, Estelle?"

The girl took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She owed Professor Potter so much she couldn't think to evade the question.

"Well, I sort of made it seem like I thought those were good ideas and I let Professor Weasley think I was happy when I left. But I wasn't."

Harry simply regarded her, his eyebrows slightly raised.

"I'll never set foot on a farm again as long as I live if I can help it. The memories would be horrible. And I have no interest in being a patroller. I'm sorry, sir. I know how much you put into making all that happen but it's just not for me."

"No need to apologize, Estelle, at least not where the patrollers are concerned. You might owe one to Professor Weasley for misleading him. But as to the matter at hand let's take a closer look at your situation. As I've told you before, you are indeed the most powerful young witch to come through Hogwarts in quite some time. But why do you feel that should define who you are and what you do?" Harry asked.

"Excuse me, sir? Isn't that the whole reason why we come here? To learn about magic and what we can do with it?"

"You'd think so, wouldn't you? And for many students that's exactly what happens," Harry said. "But it doesn't have to be that way. The one thing that we want for all our students is to learn how to control the magic. We don't want any accidents that would draw attention from the muggles. As far as what you do, don't let the fact that you have such extraordinary abilities force you into something. What is it you would like to do? What would you enjoy?"

The girl looked down at the hands in her lap and said,

"You'll think I'm being silly."

"Estelle, look at me," Harry said and when the girl met his eyes again he went on. "Do you really believe that?"

"No, sir, I guess not. What I really like to do is write."

"Is that so, what kinds of things do you like to write?"

"Almost anything. I keep a journal. I liked writing papers for Professor Binn's class. I probably shouldn't say this but I helped the other girls with their papers, a lot. I've even done some stories and stuff."

"Well, that leaves you with some options then. There's the Daily Prophet, the Quidditch periodicals. Mrs. Potter could help you there. I think she still has contacts. In fact, I think I should have her come up and have a chat with you. You could also talk to Hermione Weasley. I know that the Minister had complained about not having people in the Ministry who knew how to write well."

"That's all wonderful, sir, but isn't that kind of a waste of my abilities, the magical ones?" she asked.

"Miss Mickelthwaite," Harry began with a serious expression, "if you were to live your life, unhappy and unfulfilled because you felt you had to make choices based solely on your magical abilities, that would be a waste."

"Yes, sir."

"So, do I arrange those discussions for you?"

"Yes, sir, please and thank you."

"I will ask one thing, Estelle. As a favor to me."

"Of course, sir, anything."

"Keep your wand skills sharp. There may come a time when I'll need to call on you for help," Harry said solemnly.

She simply nodded and then stood up and made to leave the office but she turned back to Harry and said,

"Thank you, sir. You know, your kids are very lucky to have you. We all are."

Harry regarded the door for several minutes after it was silently closed. One of the things that Harry treasured most about his career at Hogwarts was watching how the youngsters who entered as first years matured and left as young adults. Estelle Mickelthwaite's evolution was particularly gratifying. He picked up a piece of paper and then shook his head. He didn't have similar hopes for the MacTavish triplets.

"Honest, Professor, it wasn't our fault," Seamus MacTavish began to plead their case. "We were just standin' up for our houses."

Harry was meeting with the triplets before breakfast the following morning and as usual Seamus was the spokesman.

"Mr. MacTavish, stripping a first year Slytherin student to his underwear, wrapping him in wet sheets and leaving him on the road just outside the front gates is far from standing up for your house. About the only rule you didn't break was the prohibition against using magic on another student. I imagine you didn't need to, being three against one."

"Oh, no, sir," Seamus protested. "It was only two, Angus and Fergus handled the little snot rag. I was the look out."

Harry couldn't help but marvel at how proud the two Hufflepuff brothers looked. Seamus was maintaining his expression of righteous indignation. Harry resisted the impulse to run a hand through his hair. In a forced calm voice, Harry asked,

"Exactly what is it that happened that required you to stand up for your respective houses?"

"That little rotter has been popping off for weeks about how it wouldn't be long before Slytherin was top house and the rest of us just better watch out. Things were goin' to be different and rubbish like that."

"I can appreciate your position, young man, however, physical assault, kidnapping and leaving school grounds are hardly the right response."

"No, sir, we didn't leave the school grounds," Seamus denied emphatically.

"Then how did the boy wind up on the road, then?" he asked.

"We tossed the bugger through the gate, sir," one of the other brothers, Fergus, Harry thought, replied. "And he rolled a bit."

Harry shook his head and thought that at least explained the odd bruises that Madame Pomfrey reported.

"Well, gentlemen, I have to say that I appreciate your honesty in this matter, but it doesn't really change things. Your behavior in this matter was unacceptable, to say the least. I'll be turning you over to your heads of house for discipline to include a minimum of twenty five points for each of you. On your way."

The three brothers left Harry's office looking decidedly unabashed. Harry had heard a few rumblings about continued friction among the students originating with the Slytherins. He wondered if it was connected in any way with what he'd been looking into. Another piece to the puzzle, but still no corners or edges.

Meanwhile, James waited just outside the main entrance to the Great Hall and as the three brothers went to enter he fell in beside Seamus and said in a low voice,

"This afternoon after classes, Professor Hagrid's hut. Be there."

Then he moved away and went to take his place at the Gryffindor table. He watched as the boys split up and went to their own tables, casting glances at each other and then at him. James couldn't help but notice that the three boys were getting some not so friendly looks from the junior end of the Slytherin table. So much the better, he thought.

The Gryffindor sixth year girls entered and Kai hurried down to hug him from behind and give his cheek a kiss. With her mouth near his ear she asked,

"Where'd you go this morning, sweetheart? You don't like walking to breakfast with me anymore?"

James knew that if he was looking at her she'd use that pout on him so he was glad she was behind him. Turning his head slightly he replied,

"I had some business to deal with this morning. And of course I like walking to breakfast, or anywhere else for that matter, with you. I had to move fast, otherwise I would have invited you along."

Then he quietly explained what he had been up to. When he was finished she kissed him again, whispered,

"That's brilliant."

Then she was on her way to her place with the other sixth years. He looked over at Cecil and got a wink in return. Then his gaze drifted to the junior end of the Slytherin table. He knew from talking with is father that in the first few years after the fall of Voldemort, Slytherin house was under strength and relatively quiet. One has to remember that not all Slytherins tended to the dark side, it just seemed to attract those that were, and most of those were either lost or went underground in those first few years.

But now it seemed that the pendulum was swinging back the other way and a greater portion of Slytherins appeared to have leanings toward the dark side. At least that's how it looked to James and the rest of the Gryffindors, not to mention a number of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Harry had asked his family and there friends to keep an eye on things and James was pretty sure that a major part of that watching needed to be directed at the snakes.

That afternoon, James was already at Hagrid's hut when the three brothers arrived. He was throwing a ball for Wullie while Kai and Cecil watched. As the colossal hound raced toward James the MacTavish brothers came to a stop and watched for a few moments until James motioned them closer. With a few words he brought Wullie to heel, his hand absently rubbing the big head.

"Thanks for coming, mates. I heard about your little adventure with that Slytherin first year."

The three brothers grinned and seemed to strut while standing still. James nodded a bit and said,

"Yes, well done, you. You get full marks for style, but the results were less than terrific."

This got him a set of three identical scowls.

"How can you say that?" Seamus asked indignantly.

"Simple. Three things. One," James said, holding up one finger, "you got caught so now you have Professor Potter watching you, and that means the whole faculty, the house ghosts and most of the portraits watching you. Two," a second finger went up, "you gave those Slytherin gits a legitimate complaint that they can use against the rest of us. Three," a third finger, "you lost major points for two different houses and that makes it easier for Slytherin to win the house cup. Not a great showing, really."

As James ticked off his points, the boys lost their bravado and were now thoroughly abashed.

"But it shows the right attitude and that's why I wanted to talk to you. We have a sort of official project to work on and I think you can be a lot of help."

This got the boys attention and they perked up since James had some serious status within the student body when one considers his family, his performance on the Quidditch pitch and his 'apprenticeship' with Ronan. So James took Seamus 'the brains' aside while Cecil took his younger housemates under his wing to explain what was expected. Kai sat on the porch in front of the hut and watched James with admiration.

The instruction to the brothers went on for perhaps half an hour, much of it revolving around making sure the boys didn't add embellishments of their own. It was all about watching and above all, staying out of trouble. What the boys didn't know was that they were being set up as decoys. James wasn't having a go at the boys when he told them about his father's network.

James plans were based on that very fact and with the MacTavish triplets now on the official watch list, he was hoping he and his small band would be able to operate a bit more freely. And who knew, maybe the brothers would come up with something. At a minimum, giving them a passive outlet for their energies might take some of the stress off his Da. Everyone wins.

Wullie was the one who brought the meeting to an end. James had thrown the ball only a couple of times while he was talking to Seamus. Wullie decided this wasn't enough so on this last occasion he kept on coming and took James out at the legs. Seamus danced backwards in alarm as James was smothered in a couple of hundred pounds of growl. James had let out a shout but was soon laughing as the wrestling match was on.

The brothers stared wide eyed but Kai and Cecil just watched what they had seen any number of times. Wullie would try and bury his head in James' midsection as the boy would attempt to wriggle out from underneath. The bout was brought to a sudden stop when Wullie lifted his head suddenly and then scrambled off James. The reason for his behavior appeared at the head of the trail that led into the forest.

"James Potter," Morgotta called out to him. "A moment of your time, if you would?"

James picked himself up off the ground and brushed off his clothes as best he could.

"What can I do for you, Loremaster?" James asked as he approached.

He could tell that Kai was coming up from behind him while the boys stayed where they were. James smothered a smile because he knew that Kai was never happy when he would mention having had an encounter with the stunning Centaur.

"I apologize for interrupting your entertainment."

"No need," James said with a grin. "Wullie was winning this time."

Morgotta simply nodded a bit and the said,

"I would ask that you inform your father that the Loremasters have information for him as he requested."

James wasn't aware of any such request but he knew that there wasn't any reason for him to be. But he was sure it was important.

"I'll tell him as soon as I see him. That will likely be tomorrow morning."

"That will be satisfactory, James Potter. Fare thee well," she said as she turned to head back into the forest.

James turned to find Kai standing behind him, her face neutral but her stance told him much. He made the wise choice and said nothing. Instead he called Wullie and returned him to the hut after a quick brush off. The triplets had been sent off so they weren't all coming back to the castle at the same time.

"So what do you think, Cec?" James asked.

"A lot of potential there, mate," Cecil replied. "Wish I had two like 'em back in the neighborhood. We'll just have ta keep an eye on 'em and make sure they don't get creative."

James merely nodded his understanding. He knew there was a bit of risk here, but he thought it was worth it. He also knew that it was important that he get the message to his father so he was up again early and standing near the small entrance to the Great Hall waiting for his father.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter," Harry said as he approached his son.

"Good morning, Professor Potter," James replied, grinning. "I have a message for you from Morgotta."

"Which is?"

"She said to tell you that the Loremasters have information for you."

"Ah, excellent. Thank you, son. You better get to your table, you don't want to miss breakfast."

James looked disappointed and like he was about to say something but then he just shrugged and with a nod turned around and walked into the Hall. Harry couldn't help but chuckle as he walked to the faculty table. Fortunately he had time that morning so after a quick breakfast he was on his way to the forest. He knew his presence would attract attention so he simply walked in along the trail and had to wait less than ten minutes in the small clearing before Morgotta and Ronan appeared.

"Well met, Friends," he offered in greeting.

"Well met, Friend Harry Potter," they replied almost in unison.

"I understand you have something for me?"

"Indeed, Friend Harry Potter," Morgotta replied. "It would appear that that of which you spoke has occurred a number of times. Not with great frequency, but the memory of the herd is long. These appearances, as we shall call them, have usually been reported by a single herd member and most often in the deeper, darker reaches of the forest. But not always. On one memorable occasion, a number of your centuries ago, an unknown creature appeared within the very bounds of our settlement. According to the lore, it created much damage before it was chased away by a hail of arrows, only to disappear as it floundered through the undergrowth."

"Did it leave anything physical behind? Tracks, blood?"

"According to the tale, the damage was most certainly real and some of those that pursued did find a trail of sorts. Disturbed undergrowth and the like, but no mention of it leaving tracks," she replied.

"So, at least within the bounds of the forest, there is a history of strange appearances. I wonder why we never heard of that," Harry mused.

"Because no human has ever asked, Friend Harry Potter, and we would not have shared such knowledge with any before you had they," Ronan said.

Harry nodded and then asked,

"Were the descriptions of whatever appeared anything like what you and James came across? The thing that was there with Trevor?"

"The descriptions vary," Morgotta interjected. "Creatures both large and small, of four legs or two, some with wings. Some with no visible features at all, more like a shadow."

That got Harry's attention, thinking back on what had happened at Diagon Alley.

"A shadow, you say?"

"Yes, several tales tell of a dark, man like shape, but one that seemed to shift, to ebb and flow, never quite real," she replied. "And impervious to our arrows. The stories agree on this. They just passed through."

Harry nodded and then said,

"Well, a bit more information but it does seem to fit a pattern of sorts. My thanks to you and your fellow Loremaster's, Friend Morgotta. I have a feeling I'll be coming back for more assistance at some point."

"The herd will be here, Friend Harry Potter."

With a nod, he exchanged the customary handclasp with his two friends and then turned to leave the forest. As he left the forest he ran into Hagrid and a full class of Care of Magical Creatures students.

"Hullo, Harry…Professor," Hagrid hailed him. "Care ta greet an ol' friend?"

"I just saw you at breakfast, Professor," Harry replied with a straight face.

"Not me," Hagrid said, adding a bit of a laugh. "This friend has wings."

Harry knew who Hagrid meant and smiled in return as he made his way through the milling students to the small corral. Standing at the far end was one of Harry's oldest and favorite friends, Buckbeak. He couldn't recall what the lifespan of a hippogriff was but it was clear that Buckbeak was showing his age. The feathers on the magnificent wings didn't have the same luster and his flanks didn't have quite the same muscularity. But he still seemed to be alert and he tossed his head as Harry entered the corral.

"Hello there, old friend," Harry said as he approached to within several paces and then stopped and executed a full bow.

The hippogriff immediately responded with a bow of his own, his wings fully extended. When he stood back up he warbled a greeting to Harry and tossed his head again. Harry had no plan to take a flight but he did walk up to caress the feathered head for a few moments and then walked to the rack and grabbed a dead ferret to toss to Buckbeak.

"And that, ladies and gents, is how ya greet a hippogriff. They be proud and demand ya respect 'em, but as ya can see, they never forget a friend. Bucky and the Professor have known each other fer a lotta years."

"And he's been a true friend in times of need," Harry said. "I would recommend you never pass up the opportunity to make friends with a magical creature. You never know when they may be of great help."

With a nod toward Hagrid and then to the students he left the corral and made his way back to the castle. He went to his office and pulled out a muggle notebook and made a few entries based on what he learned from Morgotta. Then he went back to the first page and began reading everything he had written down. Then he jotted down a few more notes before returning the notebook to its place and heading for his first class of the day.

When he returned home that evening little Lily was the first to greet him after he came in through the rear entrance.

"Well, hello there, my dear. I have some interesting news for you," he said.

"What about, daddy?"

"Remember that strange being we saw in Diagon Alley?"

"The shadow man? Oh, yes. What about him?"

"I found out today that the Centaurs have tales of something like that appearing in the forest a few times," he told her.

"So it is real," she said in a hushed tone. "Did they tell you that it was dangerous?"

"Not as such, Lily, but they did say that arrows fired at it just passed through it."

"I'd bet that Mr. Monty would know what to do about one of them," she said with determination.

"Well, sweetheart, hopefully he won't get a chance to find out. Considering how close Mr. Monty usually is to you," Harry said, glancing knowingly at the scrunched up face that was regarding him from the vicinity of Lily's knees, "that would mean you were too close to whatever this thing is."

"Oh, that's right. I guess that wouldn't be a very good idea. But I guess it's a good thing that we found out we weren't just seeing things. Or not things," she said, pausing to think that last part over.

Harry smiled and with a quick kiss on his daughter's forehead, he went to hang up his robe and put away his briefcase. He found Ginny in the library, working at her desk on his journal. She turned as he walked in.

"Hello, sweetheart. How was your day?"

"Interesting," he replied as he walked up and kissed her hello. "I found out from the Centaurs that the forest has a history of strange appearances, some even like Lily and I saw in the Alley."

"Alright, so on the one hand that's good. It supports what you've been saying. On the other hand, it's not so good because now we have to deal with what is really happening and why."

"Exactly," he said, dropping down into his chair. "Obviously from what the Centaurs told me, these things have happened before. At least within the forest. And muggles have been reporting seeing what they consider to be weird things for ages. You wonder if that's how all those myths and legends got started. I mean, for all I know this is just more of the same."

He snorted out a bit of a laugh and ran a hand through his hair.

"I remember one time when I was investigating, I'm not sure now, I think it was those smugglers from eastern Europe and I was wondering if it was all some sort of conspiracy and Bill told me not to get too caught up in that kind of thinking. Sometimes things happen at the same time but have no connection. Maybe this is just a lot of random things happening at the same time."

Ginny looked over at him and then said,

"But you don't think so, do you?"

"No, I don't. Somehow, I do think it's connected. Maybe not an actual plot of some kind but I do think it's connected."

"Well, sweetheart, then that's the way you should keep looking at it. I can't think of a time when your instincts for this sort of business have ever been wrong."

Harry simply nodded but the conversation was cut short when Dingle called them to dinner in the kitchen.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

James crouched at the base of the rickety old ladder that climbed the sheer wall at the end of the third tunnel he and his 'team' had explored. He watched as his brother applied a thin, oddly colored liquid to the lowest rung of what could be laughingly referred to as the wooden structure. Albus then took a bottle with a perforated cap and sprinkled a small amount of black dust onto the still wet surface. Immediately, the surface shifted in both color and texture and what remained was a hard gray shell. James reached out and poked at it with his finger and whistled.

"How strong is this? Can I stand on it?" he asked his brother.

"I doubt it will hold your weight, James. This is just so we can make what's left more stable. We'll have to build around it to make it strong enough to climb."

"And how do you plan to do that?" James asked.

"I have a few ideas but it will take some time to work it all out. For now we can treat this mess as far up as we can reach."

Albus began brushing on more of the liquid, pausing now and again to sprinkle on the powder. After a quarter hour or so James asked the obvious question.

"Where did you find this stuff, Al?"

"I didn't find it, I made it. After you showed this to me, I did some research in the library and asked Professor Paracelsus a few carefully worded questions. This is what I came up with."

"Alright, so where did you make it? I don't imagine that the Professor allowed you free reign in the Potions classroom."

"Didn't need to," Albus said without looking up from his work. "This old place has all kinds of interesting nooks and hideaways."

James, Cecil and Kai looked at one another and then back down at the young wizard in training. Cecil's expression spoke of admiration, Kai's of confusion and James of concern. James was thinking of the little work table his brother used in the basement back home and considered the possibilities of his younger brother set loose within the Hogwarts castle. The damp chill air at the base of the shaft suddenly got a little bit chillier.

The last of the material was applied while sitting on Cecil's slightly taller shoulders with James bracing Albus from behind. In this way they were able to treat a little over two yards of the ladder. That left only about one hundred feet to go. As his brother was packing away his materials into a cloth carry bag, James wondered how they were going to get the rest of it done. But Albus apparently had a plan and for now that had to suffice.

As James and Kai made their way back to the Gryffindor tower after parting company with Cecil and Albus, Kai looked up at her boyfriend and noticed the slightly distant look on his face.

"A knut for your thoughts, sweetheart?"

"Hmm, oh, I was just trying to figure out how the little genius came up with this so fast. He's only been up here a few months and already he has some sort of clandestine laboratory set up? I mean, every time I see him, he and Rose and usually some other kids have their heads in books or working on homework. When does he find the time?"

"Well, we don't see him all the time, usually just at meals and in the evenings for homework. I can't ever remember seeing him at a Quidditch match or being around on weekends except to eat in the Great Hall. And maybe he's had some kind of help from the others."

James just nodded his head and shrugged. Neither he nor Kai knew how right she had been.

Shortly after he had parted company with his brother and the others, Albus was seated in a corner of the Ravenclaw common room. This was a neat trick in and of itself, since the room is perfectly circular, but the effect was created by a grouping of chairs facing the wall providing the effect of a private little alcove. Joining him there was Rose, two other first year witches and a second year wizard.

"So how did it go?" Rose asked.

"Very well, in fact. As soon as the powder was added, the hard shell formed. Nice work on that, Guinevere," Albus said.

One of the first year witches gave a nod and a brief smile. While not as publicly evident as his brother, Albus was following the example of his father, or perhaps responding to some genetic prodding, by looking to others for assistance when it was possible. Rose was an obvious choice. The two cousins were as close as brother and sister. It would be difficult to say who was the more intelligent but Albus had a wider scope of interests and therefore knowledge while Rose had a particular knack for seeing past the obvious and getting to the root of a particular problem or issue. She also shared a trait with her 'uncle' Anthony Goldstein which was to dig and dig until she found an answer.

The other three members of the group each brought particular skills to their endeavour. Guinevere Langley was the muggle born daughter of a research chemist father and a stay at home mother who's hobby was experimental baking. She shared her father's love of chemistry and her mother's 'what happens if we try this' attitude. It was she who helped Albus find the proper activating powder to solidify his preservative potion.

The other first year witch, Lucinda Binns (no relation), was a quiet girl with a sharply analytical mind. She would sit and listen to the other four as they discussed various approaches to problems, usually homework related, but not always, and with a single question or comment, reveal the flawed logic or missing step that would send the others into more discussion. In the few months that they had been together, Lucinda had saved them all a great deal of work buy avoiding dead end approaches.

The second year wizard, Erasmus Biddle, had come to the group in a rather unusual manner. He had demonstrated early in his first year a precocious talent with his wand. Both Harry and Professor Flitwick had remarked about the boy's smooth, instinctive movements and precise execution of his assigned charms and transfiguration. While no match for the likes of Estelle Mickelthwaite in terms of strength, he could manipulate the smallest of objects in the most minute movements. Professor Flitwick had jokingly suggested the boy could most likely thread a needle using his wand. The joke ended when the boy did it. Granted it was heavy thread and a leather working needle, but for a first year student it was an astounding achievement.

His association with the small group of exceptional students began when he noticed Rose was having some difficulty with a charms homework assignment and he offered her some assistance. After about a half an hour he had her using her wand much more smoothly and effectively. She was very grateful and said so. He was very smitten, but said nothing. Now he just tagged along, doing what he could and speaking only when absolutely necessary.

"So, do you really thing Granddad is going to help us out?" Rose asked.

"I can practically guarantee it. You know I've spent an awful lot of time with him, working on various projects together. He's told me a lot of stories, about the fight against Voldemort, both before and after Dad was born. It doesn't take a genius to see that he wishes he had more to do with it. Given the chance, I'm sure he'll help with this, especially with it being about trying to keep the students safe. You know, with Uncle Fred and all."

"Albus, you aren't thinking of using Uncle Fred's death to manipulate our grandfather, are you?" Rose asked sternly.

"Of course not. I'm just pointing out that I understand what he's thinking about. I've never brought it up and I'd never have to."

"Alright, as long as you know that."

The five fell to quietly planning out how they'd handle the next phase of their plan. Albus' father was likewise formulating a plan because he had a suspicion that the flows held some kind of key despite what his learned friends had speculated. He thought he had been right at the edge there the last time but that last push, the one that resulted in the flare from the pillar itself, disrupted things. He was hoping to finesse his way deeper into what he had glimpsed instead of using brute force.

He had come across a small essay in Merlin's Tome attributed to an ancient Greek philosopher that suggested the possibility of pathways to other realms as he put it that required great energy subtly applied. While not referencing ley lines specifically, the author did imply that the earth was the source of the energy, but it would require great art to channel it properly. Based on prior experience, Harry thought he knew what the old Greek meant. He also thought that it represented a problem for him.

He had spent years unleashing heavy doses of magic, sometimes resulting in near catastrophe. But it also occurred to him that he had performed some fairly subtle magic at times. He was, after all, the Professor of Transfiguration and he was the one that once told Professor McGonagall that he thought Transfiguration represented the art of magic. He stared at his bookcases for a moment.

"I wonder," he muttered under his breath.

An hour later he was standing at the front door of a neat stone house near the far west coastline of the Isle of Skye. Taking a deep breath he knocked on the door. A small face appeared above the door knocker.

"Who's knockin'?"

"Harry Potter."

The face disappeared and returned a moment later. The eyes seemed to fix on his forehead for a moment and then said,

"Open the door," the face said before disappearing.

Harry pushed open the door and stepped into the small entrance hall. There was only a small buffet against one wall and he was wondering where he should go when he heard a faint but family voice call to him.

"This way, Professor."

Harry walked to the end of the corridor and then stepped through a doorway to his left.

"Well, Harry, it's been a while," Professor McGonagall said from a tall backed chair in the cozy sitting room.

"Yes, it has, Professor, and shame on me."

"Oh, please, Harry," she said, waving him into a chair to one side of hers. "You have far too much to concern yourself with than a retired Headmistress."

"Allow me to disagree. I should always be concerned with the welfare of my friends, especially the ones that are like family, Minerva," he replied with a lopsided grin.

Professor McGonagall gave him a tight smile but took hold of his hand as she said,

"What brings you all the way here, Harry?"

"As was often the case in the past, I need your help. I suppose I should explain what's been going on the last few years."

"It's not really necessary, Harry. I'm fairly well informed where you're concerned," she replied with a smile.

Harry looked justifiably confused until a thought occurred and he looked around the room. On a table against the wall across the room where the former Head sat was a picture frame about a foot square, currently devoid of an image. Harry snorted a brief laugh and shook his head as he turned to focus on the Professor McGonagall again.

"I may have retired, Harry, but that was for health reasons. Not because I lost interest in what was going on. If I may, I have to say I can't tell you how proud I am of how things have turned out with you. Albus and I often spoke in those early years of what you might become and accomplish if you managed to survive your travails. I must admit that we failed miserably in how far short we fell in our estimations. Which makes me wonder just what an aging academic can do for you?"

Harry knew it would be a waste of time to try and argue that last statement with Minerva McGonagall so he got right to the point.

"Professor, if you're up to date as you say, you know that I've taken some trips into the flows or ley lines. I feel that there is more for me to discover there but I can't force my way through. The last time in, I tried that way and all it did was cause a flaring of some kind from the pillar. I did find an essay in Merlin's Tome that suggested that great energy could be harnessed from the earth but it required great art. It reminded me of a discussion we had where I likened Transfiguration to the art of magic. It made me think that perhaps there was more that you could teach me."

The former Head sat quietly, her fingers tapping aimlessly on the arm of her chair, looking straight ahead. Then her expression changed, as if she was making a decision and then she looked at Harry.

"Perhaps there is something that I can show you, Harry. It's not anything that Albus or I would ever reveal to a student at Hogwarts but you have gone so far beyond that. Once I show you, I suspect you'll show similar restraint."

Harry merely nodded. Professor McGonagall seemed to accept this and she took her wand from a pocket and tapped the arm of her chair once. The legs of the chair began to grow with the rear ones growing longer so that the chair lifted and tilted her forward, helping her to stand. Harry stood as well and wasn't really surprised when she took hold of his arm in one hand and gestured with the other to walk with her from the room. They walked into the room across the entry corridor. The room had one other doorway, which looked to connect with the kitchen. The Professor ignored this door and walked to the wall directly opposite the entry doorway. With her wand she touched three knots in the wood paneling.

The pair watched as a section of wall comprised of several lengths of the paneling pulled back a bit and then slide sideways out of the way. What was revealed was a small space no bigger than a closet. Harry looked at the Professor with raised eyebrows. She returned his gaze with a wry smile.

"The days of the Scottish clan wars required certain precautions, Harry. This particular one has proven useful to me over the years. For different reasons of course."

She gestured for him to step inside with her. It was a tight fit but with another tap of her wand the opening closed and then the floor seemed to drop out from under them. Fortunately it did so slowly, so they rode it down like a lift. When it stopped, another door slid aside but nothing but darkness greeted them.

"Lumos."

Professor McGonagall's wand lit up and drove back the darkness to reveal a stonewalled room that must have been the foundation of the entire house. Against walls were numerous bookcases and cabinets. Books were much in evidence as were a number of artifacts. Some were obviously magical, others looked to be of more mundane historical significance. Some he had no idea what they were. The room also included a few chairs, and old leather couch and several tables. With flicks of her wand, several wall lamps sprang to life. She then extinguished her wand and tucked it back into a pocket. When she saw Harry looking about the room, she said,

"Much of what you see was here before I was even born, Harry. Generations of wandering ancestors brought it back from all over the wizarding world, as well as some from the mundane. I have no one to leave it to so I've decided that the artifacts will go to Hogwarts, but the books I'll leave to you."

Harry was rocked by this revelation. It would easily double the size of his library, even allowing for some duplicates.

"But," she said with a twinkle in her eye, "I hope you won't mind waiting a while. I have no immediate plans in that direction."

"As you once said, Professor, in your own good time."

She chuckled and then said,

"Alright, Harry, down to business. That cabinet there."

With Harry holding her arm, the two walked over to a large cabinet that ran floor to ceiling. She pulled open the right door leave to reveal…nothing. There was nothing to see but a dark space. Whether it was a trick of the dim light, or a feature of the cabinet itself, he couldn't see the back of the cabinet.

"Harry, in all likelihood this particular cabinet has nothing to do with your current situation. But what it may do is help you to perfect the technique that you think will help you explore those flows. I will warn you that while not ultimately dangerous, the results of any mistakes can be painful. Something similar to this was used at Durmstrang to teach certain wand techniques and nearly every student to pass through had some sort of scar as a result. Are you prepared for that?"

"I'll give it try, Professor. What's one more scar?" he replied.

Despite the obvious effects of age, there was no mistaking the look that the Professor gave Harry. Had this been another time and place he would have felt like a first year again. Instead he just smiled a little and said,

"Alright, how does this work?"

"I imagine you recall the Mirror of Erised, yes?"

"Certainly."

"Well, the cabinet works along similar lines. The mirror was able to show you your hearts deepest desire. This part of the cabinet can show you anything that you wish it to. However, another part of it will try to resist and the harder you try the more difficult it becomes. It requires a softer, more subtle approach to get it to complete the image you desire. If you are successful here it might show you a way to accomplish what you wish with the flows."

Harry nodded and thought it couldn't hurt to try, but then again.

"What about the pain you mentioned?"

"Ah, yes, if you should lose your concentration, become distracted or just stop trying, the effort or energy you put into your attempt is returned to you, all at once. Hence, the potential for pain or injury. I would suggest, Harry, that you kept your temper under control."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now, approach the cabinet and firmly fix in your mind, the image of something or someone that you would wish to see. The more detail you can put into the image the better. Let me know when you are ready."

The choice for Harry was obvious. The image leapt to his mind. He nodded.

"Now, imagine the picture directly in front of you within the confines of the cabinet. And remember the harder you try, the more the cabinet will resist. There is no one way to make this happen, Harry. You have to find what works for you."

Only the vaguest of outlines floated in the darkness of cabinet space. Instead of pushing out he tried to draw in and feel what was keeping the image from forming. To him it felt like a screen of some kind hung across the space blocking his efforts. But it didn't feel like the screen was solid. He probed a bit, finding little soft spots that he thought he might be able to push through, but none were big enough to get the whole image through. Maybe it didn't have to go through in one piece. Without realizing it a pair of warm brown eyes was looking back at him. Then came the smile, the nose and bit by bit the image of Ginny coalesced in the darkness.

"Well done, you, Harry. When you're ready, release the image."

He let the image linger a moment longer and then let it go. He turned around and found the Professor had retired to a rather timeworn chair.

"Very well done, Harry. It's a rarity that someone gets through this without getting at least one jolt."

"How did you do, if I might ask?"

The Professor chuckled and held up her left arm, pulling back the sleeve of her robe to reveal a barely visible scar the size of a sickle coin.

"I was only jolted once but it was a hard one. Put me right on my bum. I kept pushing and pushing."

"But didn't you know?"

"Of course I did. But I was still rather young and in those days no one could tell me what I should or shouldn't do. I generally had to learn things the hard way," she explained.

Harry wisely chose not to comment.

"And you did it fairly quickly, too. It took you just over two hours."

"Excuse me? Two hours. It felt much shorter."

"That's not uncommon, Harry. It was very interesting to watch. You've developed amazing powers of concentration. I wonder what kind of student you might have been if you had developed them earlier," she said, the corners of her mouth curling up a bit.

Harry couldn't help but laugh. Before he left, Professor McGonagall extracted two promises from him. The first was to come back and give her a first hand account of what he discovered and the other was to be very careful how he proceeded.

"You're not just pushing back the boundaries of magic, Harry, you're tearing them down. I can't possibly begin to imagine what you might find on the other side."

"I worry about that myself, Professor. But I'd rather not wait to find out who or what is out there until they show up on our doorstep."

She simply nodded and then sent him off with a hug and wishes for good luck. He would need to spend some time working out his next move, but his experience with the cabinet had given him some hope and confidence. There was someone else who could have used some of that hope and confidence. As Saturday approached, Cressida was feeling decidedly nervous. Ravenclaw was scheduled to fly against Slytherin and based on the rumors, whispered threats and general trash talk, it promised to be a bruiser. In fact, the rhetoric had reached a sufficient level requiring a response from Professor Sprout, who had prohibited the students from bringing their wands into the stadium. This pronouncement included a statement of regret that inter house relations had deteriorated to the point she had to take this action.

Harry didn't make any announcements of his own. He simply let it be known quietly that he would take a personal interest in any infractions of the prohibitions or excessive rough play. No one, and he meant no one, from the student body would be exempt. While these combined pressures from the administration damped down the overt verbal sparring, the tension remained ever present.

Thursday evening saw a war council of sorts with the captains of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff meeting in the Hufflepuff common room along with ranking members of their teams, discussing the upcoming match.

"Alright, so, based on what we've seen from our own matches and watching you others play, I think it's safe to say that the Slytherins will come out hard and start the rough stuff early. If things start to go their way they may not actually make any illegal moves in the early stages but if we get the upper hand I expect that will change," the Ravenclaw captain said.

"Too right. I'm not sure what they're up to, but I'd bet my last sickle there's more than just a Quidditch match at stake," replied a seventh year Hufflepuff who was their top chaser.

The Gryffindor captain looked to James who was brought along and said,

"Potter, you probably know more about what's going on than any of us. What do you think is happening here? Has your father mentioned anything?"

James shook his head.

"Nothing specific, but over the years he's talked about how bad things were with Slytherin when Voldemort was around. They kind of saw themselves as the chosen ones and likely to play big parts in whatever the old snake was able to set up. From what I can figure out someone somewhere is up to something and those gits think they're going to be a big part of it. I think they are just trying to prove their big shots again."

"Well, whatever the reason we can expect them to play it dirty. We have to be ready. We can expect a lot of body contact, bludger assaults and attempts to put flyers out of the match. Our seeker will be particularly vulnerable."

The flyer in question gave a brief, if strained, smile. He was a thin, short fourth year that had blazing speed and could cut the tightest of corners. He was also easy to push out of the way and his shorter arms put him at a disadvantage against lesser flyers who had a better reach.

"So, we have a choice. We can try to fight a battle of attrition or we look to put it away as quickly as possible," offered the Ravenclaw captain, which began a discussion amongst the various players.

James sat quietly for a while, listening to what was being said and more importantly what wasn't. It became obvious that the consensus was building towards a position that while a win was possible it would likely come at the expense of players and a physical drubbing for all involved. When a lull in the conversation presented itself he spoke up.

"You know, it seems like all of you are focusing on how their strengths are going to play in their favor. Perhaps we should look at how we can put their weaknesses to work for us, well, Ravenclaw, and maybe even use some of their strengths against them."

"And exactly how would we do that?" the Hufflepuff captain asked.

"Firstly, their chasers are strong and fast but not particularly adaptable. The get an idea in mind and they seem to stick with it. If you watch them for the first ten or fifteen minutes, you have their game plan in hand. Second, there seeker is one of the largest I've ever seen. She's fast, strong and has a long reach but can't cut a tight curve to save her life. If she can be coaxed, or hoaxed, into a high speed run, Billy here could cut inside her. Whatever you do, don't let your keeper be drawn out from the rings. The longer it takes them to come to the hoops the more they are likely to telegraph their throw."

"That sounds fine, Potter, but we don't all have your spooky skill to preposition ourselves," the Ravenclaw keeper said. "Challenging the chaser can force an early throw with a lower percentage of success."

"Perhaps, but with these guys you don't need to know ahead of time, you can see it coming if you know what to look for. Give yourself the time and you'll see. Their beaters aren't much of a threat beyond midrange but their dirty buggers up close. They hit more chasers with their bats than the bludger."

The other's sat and watched James and when he stopped talking, the Ravenclaw captain said, almost sarcastically,

"Anything else?"

"Their first line players are tough," James added, apparently ignoring the tone of the question, "but they aren't invincible. If the chance comes up to put one out, take it."

This started an entirely new line of discussion, but James felt he had said enough, so he sat quietly and listened. What developed was a listing of the things that the Slytherin team did well and not so well and how each could be used against them. James did notice that the suggestions provided to Ravenclaw by the other house team members were more in the line of specific tactics as opposed to larger strategies. Neither team was willing to give away state secrets.

The meeting lasted almost up until curfew and James and the other's made it back to the Gryffindor common room just in time. Kai was waiting for him in one of the big chairs by the fire and she moved over to make room for him. He wiggled himself into the space, wedging them tightly against each other. She kissed his cheek and said,

"So how did it go?"

"Pretty well. By the end of it they had pretty much dissected Slytherin's style of play and what dirty tricks they were likely to come up with. They discussed the snakes' strengths and weaknesses and how they can be used against them and it seems like Ravenclaw is putting together a plan. It could prove to be an interesting match. How come you weren't there? I would have thought they would invite the best chaser in the school to something like this."

Her eyes lit up and she gave him another kiss on the cheek, although a longer one. The she said,

"Aren't you sweet? In fact, I was invited but I begged off. It sounded so much like you were planning a war. In point of fact, this is all getting rather frightening," she said, burrowing in a little tighter.

"What? A Quidditch match against a bunch of manky gits?"

"No, sweetheart, well, yes, in a way, but the match is just a small part of it all. I just have this feeling that things are going to go horribly wrong. Isn't that what your father is saying?"

"He hasn't said much of anything. Right now he's just trying to figure out what, if anything, his weird dreams mean. What makes you think it's going to be something terrible?" he asked.

"It's just this feeling I have. I get them sometimes. Plus there's been so many odd things happening."

"Well, I'm not going to tell you you're being silly or anything like that, but you might just be getting a little ahead of yourself. I don't think it's time to start worrying about the end of the world yet," he said.

"Yet," was all she said in return, her voice very quiet.

As the sun climbed into the sky on Saturday morning, it seemed that the entire student body was streaming towards the stadium. In fact, only a handful had remained behind, including Albus and Rose. Members of the faculty were stationed along the path, keeping a stern eye on the students. In order to enforce the ban on wands, Harry and several others were positioned at the main entrance. They were not using any sort of magical spell or device to search for contraband wands. They simple looked into the face of each and every student looking for telltales. In the end, three students had been caught, two Slytherins and one Ravenclaw. Their wands were confiscated and they were ordered to report to the Head's office.

Fred Weasley had been stopped and searched on the grounds that he was Fred Weasley. No wand was found but two Weasley Wizard Wheezes Super Slimy Stink Bombs were removed from the deep recesses of two hidden pockets in his robe. He was sent off with a stern warning from his Uncle Harry. He considered himself lucky since under his hat was a Ridiculous Roman Candle and a Vesuvius Volcanic Smoke Bomb. As the students filled their respective spectator areas a low buzz of anticipation began to grow in volume. Any overt exchanges between the houses were stifled by the presence of teachers moving through the massed bodies. And then it was match time.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Hogwarts Quidditch," the student announcer offered. "Today's match promises to be one for the books. If the match even remotely approaches the level of hyperbole we've been subjected to the last few weeks, I imagine quite a few flyers will likely be in the books as well. The teams are in the air, circling the pitch, waiting for the release of the balls."

The stadium fell into an unnatural quiet. The referee kicked open the chest holding the balls and released the Bludgers and Snitch. The Quaffle was lofted high and the spectators exploded into a wall of sound. The voice of the announcer was barely audible despite magical enhancement.

"The Quaffle is up and the match is on. Oh, did you see that. The Slytherin beaters tried to put the squeeze on a Ravenclaw chaser but what a move he made. Those two are going to feel that collision for a while. The two seekers are well away after the Snitch and Ravenclaw is mounting the first scoring drive of the match. Slytherin is mounting an aggressive defense that appears short on finesse and long on physicality. Oooo, Ravenclaw looses the Quaffle after a near miss and a steal from behind. Slytherin is now driving hard on the goals, they're lining up for a throw and there it goes…ohhh, brilliant save by the Ravenclaw keeper, a one handed grab coming out of a roll and the ball is once again being moved down the pitch by Ravenclaw."

The commentary carried on in this way from for half an hour before the first goal was scored.

"Ravenclaw on the move, look at that ball handling, Slytherin is badly out of position, it's all on the keeper…oh, what a move and, yes, GOALLLLL for Ravenclaw. Ten-nil."

Four hours later it was one hundred ten to seventy in favor of Ravenclaw. While a comfortable position for Ravenclaw the score didn't tell the whole story. As James had predicted, within the first half hour, the basics of Slytherin's tactics became evident. Ravenclaw made adjustments and began to exploit the gaps and flaws in that strategy. An increasingly frustrated bunch of Slytherin flyers began to act more on individual impulses and less as a team. The only thing that was keeping the game moving forward was the duel between the two seekers.

The smaller Ravenclaw seeker was able to out maneuver the larger Slytherin flyer but she used her superior size and strength to push him off the Snitch when they were closing in on the elusive ball. By the seventh hour the lead had widened to two hundred thirty to one hundred forty leaving an opening for either team to end it with a grab of the Snitch. Slytherin had also suffered heavily from injuries. As they became more frustrated they got more and more careless. Six out of seven of their first line fliers had been sent off with injuries. While they all returned with various bandages and splints, one of the Chasers fell out by hour six. This allowed one Chaser to free lance. The end came in a spectacular fashion.

Cressida had been turned loose and she managed three scores in a row to bring the total to two hundred sixty when a glint of gold caught her eye. She knew the two Seekers would be right behind it. She had the Quaffle and was the target of attention of both Slytherin beaters and one of its chasers, but instead of passing it off, she pivoted, sighted on the Slytherin Seeker and lofted the Quaffle directly in her path. The startled girl reacted instinctively and caught the ball as it practically fell into her lap. This action at high speed upset her balance and she almost fell off her broom. This freed the Ravenclaw seeker to make the grab but it was a desperate reach coupled with exhaustion and the boy wound up doing a half roll with the Snitch in one hand and the broom gripped tightly in the other. Instead of trying to get upright, he pulled back on the nose and went into a steep dive toward the pitch.

The stadium once again exploded into a wall of noise. The supporters of the three houses roared their approval while the Slytherins howled in protest. Their captain was hovering in front of the referee, his arms waving as he registered strenuous objections to the unorthodox tactic. The referee was obviously not interested and waved both teams off the pitch, which signaled the clearing of the spectators. Once again, faculty was present at key points to ensure order was maintained. Several conspired to keep the Slytherins separate from the rest. Harry chose not to breathe his sigh of relief until the students had all returned to their respective dormitories.

However, his relief didn't last long. Before returning home, he checked in at his office and found the aggrieved Slytherin captain waiting at the door.

"Yes, Mr. Capstan."

"Sir, I protest. There is no way that that stunt they pulled can be legal."

"What did the referee tell you, Mr. Capstan?" Harry asked levelly.

"He just said 'Match over, get off the pitch'. What kind of ruling is that?"

"Pretty conclusive. The match is over, Mr. Capstan. I suggest you concentrate on the next one. You could appeal to the Ministry office of Magical Games and Sport. I don't think you'll get very far but you can try," Harry replied.

Capstan gave Harry a look of disgust and said,

"I don't know why I even bothered. It's not as if you'd ever side with Slytherin house, right or wrong."

Capstan was glowering as he began to turn away.

"Stand your ground, Mr. Capstan," Harry said in that unnervingly quiet tone of voice of his.

The young wizard slowly turned to face the Assistant Headmaster, looking much less sure of himself.

"Let me explain a few things to you, Mr. Capstan. Regardless of what you, or any of your mates, might think, I am still the Assistant Headmaster of this school and you will accord me the proper respect, as you will every other member of the faculty and staff. In addition, you will relay to your housemates this game is over and any thought about demonstrating your dissatisfaction better be forgotten. Quite frankly, I'm growing very tired of hearing all your rubbish. And believe me, I hear about all of it. And lastly, to make sure you understand I'm serious about this, you will report to my office every morning at six o'clock and you will explain to me what efforts you've made to temper the attitudes of your housemates. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Capstan?"

"Yes, sir, but if I may ask, why me, sir?"

"Because you are here, Mr. Capstan, and because you exemplify that type of attitude I find so exasperating. I've known some very fine individuals who came from your house and I hope to know more. But right now, I've very little hope. Perhaps you can change that. Off you go."

The boy turned and began to walk away when Harry offered one final thought.

"Mr. Capstan, failure to be at my door on time will cost your house one hundred points, per infraction."

"Yes, sir," came the acknowledgement.

Harry hated it when he had to put on his 'Harry the Hammer' hat, but the situation had been deteriorating for some time and it had to be addressed. He decided to leave his office alone and he headed directly home. When he arrived he was greeted by his daughter and her entourage, that is, one large scrunchy faced 'cat' and one small owl. The owl had pride of place, riding on Lily's shoulder, while Mr. Monty was sitting in front of her, practically on her feet.

"Hello, Daddy. How did the game turn out?"

"Ravenclaw won. Despite all the talk, Slytherin wasn't able to deliver," he said, as he bent down to kiss her on the forehead.

Nibbles gave a little screech as if to warn Harry off. Harry couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm glad those Slytheries lost. He's not a nice man."

"Who isn't?" Harry asked.

"The one that they are named after."

"You mean Salazar Slytherin?" Harry asked.

"I guess that's him. You were talking to his statue in that underground place weren't you?"

"Yes, I was. How did you know about that?"

"I think it was a dream. You were standing in front of a big statue but it had a real face on it. Well, actually, it was like a real face was put over the stone one. The eyes had been watching you when you walked in, but it waited to talk to you. He was rather nasty, wasn't he?"

"You heard us?"

"Uh-huh. You talked about Voldemort. I guess those two were related?"

"Yes, dear."

"Well, he said some nasty things about him and told you to get out but then something got him really upset and he went away somewhere. You all left right after that," Lily said, looking up at her father.

"When did you dream this, sweetheart?"

"Um, that night, I think."

"Why didn't you say something to me, or your mother?" Harry asked.

"It was just a dream, Daddy. I have lots of them."

"Are any of them about things that have happened?" he asked, very intrigued.

"Some of them. I don't know, since I don't know everything that goes on," she concluded with simple but flawless logic.

Harry took his daughter by the hand and led her so they could sit down together at the bottom of the staircase. Mr. Monty jumped up into Harry's lap and curled up for a nap.

"Sweetheart, would you like to try an experiment with me?"

"Sure, Daddy, that sounds like fun."

"That's great. What I'd like you to do is whenever you have a dream, I want you to write it down. I'll give you a book and pen to write it with. Alright?"

"Okay."

"Good girl. What do you say we go to the kitchen and see if dinner is ready? I had to miss lunch."

"Oh, no. Careful, Mr. Monty, Nibbles. Daddy is hungry."

Harry looked at his daughter who returned his gaze with a straight face for about thirty seconds and then broke into fits of giggles. He laughed in return. As they walked toward the kitchen he considered his three children, all extraordinary but each in their own way. He could only wonder at what the future held. As to the more immediate future, that became apparent on the first day of classes after the big match. Evidently, the heads of all four Houses had had words with their students and the intent if not that actual content of Harry's discussion with Mr. Capstan had also become known. It was going to be a very quiet week.

When Harry arrived at two minutes after six he found the Slytherin captain standing quietly to one side of his office door. With a nod, Harry unlocked the door and gestured for the young wizard to go in ahead of him. He indicated a chair and then took his seat behind his uncluttered desk.

"Good morning, Mr. Capstan," Harry said, his expression neutral.

"Good morning, sir."

"Right on time, very good. So what can you tell me about your efforts of the last day?"

"Well, sir. I simply told my housemates that we were all on notice. That you were growing tired of what you consider to be our attitude and any thoughts about the game better be kept to ourselves. It also didn't matter how unfair we might think you were being, you're the Assistant Head and what you say goes."

Harry nodded. On the one hand he was glad to hear that the boy had been listening when Harry had explained his position. On the other, it was clear the boy was seething with arrogance and indignation but he knew he'd have to be a fool to think one conversation would have any lasting impact. But he had another arrow in his quiver, as James might say. He took out his note book, wrote something down and then tore out the page and handed it to the silently seething youngster.

"Take this note to Professor Sprout. She'll know what to do. Off you go."

Capstan looked at the note and but didn't know what to make of it but with a one hundred point penalty hanging over his head he wasn't about to argue. Harry regarded the closed door for a few moments and then sat back and made a few entries in his note book. He had given the larger issue of the flows and what might lay beyond a great deal of thought the previous day, based on what he had learned from Professor McGonagall and the few bits he had been able to tease from the tome and he decided today was the time to act. He had the morning free, he could get an early start and he had arranged for a substitute to handle the two classes he had that afternoon.

Nibs had put together a small packet for him to take and he began eating the contents as he made his way down to Hagrid's and the entrance to the forest. He was a hundred yards down the path when a Centaur hunter approached him.

"Good morning, Serpent King. May we be of service?"

"Thank you, yes. I realize it's early but could word be sent to Friends Ronan and Morgotta to meet me at the old cavern."

"It will be as you request, Serpent King."

The large Centaur cantered back down the trail and Harry resumed his trek, moving at a respectable pace. Now that the thinking was over and it was time for action he was eager to be about his task. He had just turned off the main trail to head inward to the pit that had once been the cavern when the sound of multiple hooves hurrying along from behind reached him. Harry stopped and turned to wait.

"Hail and well met, Friends," he called out as the two Centaurs emerged from the early morning gloom.

The sun was still tucked behind the horizon and the trees were doing their best to hold back the faint light of false dawn.

"Well met, Harry Potter. You are about urgent business so early?" Ronan asked.

"Indeed, I am, Friend Ronan. I've been given some insights that might apply to my trips into the flows. I wish to see if they will give me some indication of what we might be facing. I would ask your forbearance to stand watch and observe what occurs. I trust your judgment and discretion absolutely."

"We are honored by your confidence in us and will endeavour not to fall short of your estimation," Morgotta replied.

"I appreciate that but I doubt that would be in any way possible. Let's proceed."

Harry turned and began to lead them to the edge of the pit. Morgotta and Ronan regarded each other solemnly. They had discussed Harry's last foray into the flows at great length. They were decidedly uneasy.

"Alright, my friends. I'll let myself down into the pit. If anything untoward happens, I trust your judgment in how to deal with it. Wish me luck," Harry said in a slightly jaunty tone of voice.

The two nodded and then offered Harry best wishes. As Harry descended into the pit, Ronan gestured for the Centaur on watch to come forward. He whispered some instructions and sent the guard off at a trot. Then they both turned to watch Harry. He had approached the pillar and assumed the usual position. They watched for perhaps ten minutes, all appearing as usual until Morgotta let out a gasp,

"He's gone."

The reason she said this was that Harry seemed to have disappeared. One moment he was there, the next not. Ronan moved along the edge of the pit, peering closely. The sun was rising higher and a slim shaft of light came through at an angle and Ronan called back,

"No, he is still there if barely. Come see."

Morgotta hurried forward and looking as directed, could just make out the barest outline of a man in robes.

"It would appear that the Serpent King has made new inroads. Let us hope he can find his way back," Ronan offered.

"Should he not, I have great fears for the future," Morgotta replied, a barely perceptible shudder running through her.

What had caused these concerns was what Harry managed while in the flows. Using his usual tricks he found himself in that now familiar place. Vague images of faces, figures and places, as well as things he had no name for flickered in and out of his 'vision'. Thinking back on his experience with the cabinet in Professor McGonagall's basement, he tried to imagine what would be out there that would be of use to him. He thought about a quiet outdoor place, perhaps something like he saw when they studied the old Greeks in muggle school. As had happened before, when he tried to get past whatever barrier existed he couldn't get a hold of anything.

This time he simply opened himself up and drew inward from what was around him. Two things happened. The first was Harry was standing on a rough surface, perhaps stone, perhaps something else. Protrusions in the surface formed what could be chairs or lounges. There were no pillars, no steps and no old Greeks. What there was, was a tall, impossibly thin individual, with a roundish head, large grey eyes and a wide mouth that appeared to be smiling.

The other thing that had happened was Harry's seeming disappearance from the pit. As to his present circumstances, Harry regarded the unmoving being, who seemed to be waiting for him to make the first move. He felt he was close enough to make himself heard so he said,

"Hello."

"Greetings," came the reply in a flattish, unaccented voice.

"My name is Harry Potter. May I know yours?"

"You may, Harry Potter. I am He Who Greets All Within The Dell of Knowledge From Which No One Returns As He Was."

Harry blinked once and said,

"Pardon me?"

The being appeared to sigh and droop a bit. His voice now held a note of resignation.

"Suit yourself, you can just call me Nigel."

"Nigel?"

"You must understand, Harry Potter, that my being able to communicate with you is drawn from you directly. Nigel seems like a name you would be comfortable with."

Harry nodded. Nigel was the name of a boy he knew from his muggle school days. He was one of the few that hadn't been an active supporter of Dudley's constant harassment.

"Nigel will do fine. Is this your home?" Harry asked.

"Not as such. I am of a species that is few in number but we can move freely about so it has fallen to us to encounter those who have moved beyond their simple existence and begun the true journey."

"Oh, you mean being able to traverse dimensions?"

Nigel regarded Harry silently for a moment and then with a gesture from a long, fingerless appendage invited Harry to sit. Harry did so and then watched as Nigel folded his form onto a somewhat taller protrusion.

"You call yourselves humans, yes?" Nigel inquired.

"That's right."

"We have watched you humans for some time, Harry Potter, in preparation for a time when we might encounter you. I have to say that we have long despaired that you would ever take that step. But you are not unique in that. Of all the species that attain awareness few enough rise to the level of intelligence to perceive that something might exist beyond their immediate senses. Fewer still acquire the ability to step beyond those immediate environments."

Nigel seemed to lean forward and those big gray eyes seemed to focus intently on Harry.

"Know you this, human called Harry Potter. There are no dimensions as you call them. I see from your limited knowledge how you and yours look at what you call the cosmos. It is a common misconception among the more intelligent beings who lack the ability to journey. You might call it Dimensional Dementia. You lack the ability therefore you assume that some barrier exists that keeps you from gaining access. Who wishes to see themselves as lacking? The cosmos as you call it is simply one. It is. There are no barriers, only places. Access to those places requires ability. An ability that you yourself are developing, if barely. I see that you make use of the great resources of your world to make this happen. An interesting technique, if limited."

"So the idea of multiple universes and a dozen dimensions per is wrong?"

"It is wrong in the way someone would think a single block is a building. Remember Harry Potter, I am using your own words to describe what you have no words for. Your thinkers see so little and try to imagine what is. It is far more than what they used to see, but far less than you need in order to truly understand," Nigel explained.

"So there are beings who can journey among these places to one degree or another. On my world we have been encountering strange things, seeing odd creatures. But some didn't strike me has highly intelligent."

"There are those creatures who are able to journey as an aspect of their nature. It requires no thought on their part. However, that lack of understanding makes their journeys haphazard and dangerous, both for them and those they encounter."

Harry nodded at this, thinking of what the Centaurs had related. Then he had a thought.

"Nigel, you said you were watching us. Had you ever had occasion to observe other creatures from my world? They tended to dress in cowled robes and spend their time in high caves. The last of them seemed to inhabit a bubble in time, supported by what we call the flows."

"Yes, we know them. They were not, in fact, of your world. They were inhabitants of a place that was, in your words, dying. They were able to journey to your world, before your people had begun to form. Your world offers unusually high levels of energies, something about its make up. A very unpleasant assemblage of beings, to my mind. I have access to all the knowledge of those who have gone before me. There was a time of great conflict, was there not?"

"Yes, we call it the Magic Wars," Harry replied.

"So, why are you here now, Harry Potter? Why have you harnessed the energies of your world to journey here?"

"I have concerns, Nigel," Harry said and he explained his dreams, the events of the past few years and his concerns for the future.

Nigel remained silent for a time and then asked,

"You have no wish to seek riches and treasures? To attain glory and renown? To gain dominion over others?"

Harry thought these odd questions, but probably important ones so he answered,

"I have all the riches and treasures I require and far more than I ever sought. I am already well respected among my kind and had I wished to place myself above others, I could have done that long ago. I simply wish to understand what has been occurring and why and to be prepared for what may come, if anything."

"I ask this because we have observed your world, and these things seem to drive much of what you humans do, to your detriment. As a seeker of knowledge however, you are welcome. So, understand this. Your world is a place, just as are all places, and it is a mirror, a small reflection of what is. As I said before, your world is a source of great energies, not unique, but certainly uncommon and therefore of interest to others. You have met such others before and there will be more. To know more and be ready is a prudent thing. Be wary as you proceed, Harry Potter. You are but a neophyte as you begin your journey. There are those you may encounter who are far along their path and have the greater experience. Your dealing with such may be perilous. If you seek to know more, you may return to this place. I, or others of my kind, will be here."

"Thank you, Nigel, or He Who Greets All Within The Dell of Knowledge From Which No One Returns As He Was."

Harry wasn't sure but he thought Nigel was both surprised and pleased. With a last gesture, Nigel and the Dell of Knowledge, or so he presumed, faded from view and Harry was once more in the flows. In passing, he called up the image of the Shadow Man, as Lily had called him and he was rewarded with a fleeting glimpse of two shadows as if in conversation. He let it go and thought it would be best if he returned to consider what he had been told.

When he released his hold on the pillar he saw that the sun was well past noon. He felt well enough, but he knew there was much to consider. He turned to look up and saw not just his two friends but several other's as well. Slowly he levitated himself out of the pit and then he walked along its edge until he had joined his herdmates.

"Well met, Serpent King. How fare you?" the Elder asked.

"I'm quite well, thank you, Honored Elder. And my time in the flows was most helpful. I shall be pleased to reveal what I've learned once I've had the chance to properly consider it."

"We shall look forward to what you have to tell us. As it appears that all is well, we will depart and await your return, Friend Harry Potter. We will leave Morgotta to escort you to the edge of the forest."

Harry nodded and watched as the other Centaurs, all senior members of the Elders, move off. Ronan gave a last nod and handclasp and then Harry and Morgotta were left alone.

"What's wrong, Friend Morgotta?"

"Wrong, Friend Harry Potter?"

"All those senior Centaurs? The level of tension? What happened out here while I was in the flows? More fireworks?"

"Ever the observant one, Friend Harry Potter. Let us walk while I explain," she said as they took the trail away from the pit and toward the main route to Hagrid's hut. "There were no fireworks. Whatever new technique you have acquired did not produce such. What did happen was far more profound. And disturbing. Within a short period of time from your making contact with the pillar until just a few moments ago you had disappeared from sight. Only the dimmest of outlines was visible and only when the light was just so. We feared that you had been drawn irrevocably into the flows."

Harry was surprised at this, but it did make a certain sense. During his discussions with Nigel, he had felt far more present than at any other time in the flows. So he had to assume that most, if not all of his being, was present there, with only a vestige, perhaps as an anchor, remained in the pit. When he looked up at Morgotta her expression said nothing, but she was carrying herself much more stiffly and her hands were clasped at her waist.

"I imagine that must have been a disturbing sight. I wasn't aware that would happen. I regret any alarm I may have caused you or the others."

"It is of no moment, Friend Harry Potter. Your purpose was serious and necessary."

"No, it is important, my friend, for you and the others have always been there when I had need. I may not have been able to change what happened or how you all reacted, but I shouldn't disregard the fact that it did happen."

Morgotta met his serious gaze steadily and then she said,

"We are near the clearing, Friend Harry Potter. If you could spare a moment, I would ask you accompany me there."

"Certainly."

The two took the side trail when it appeared, and in the lowering light of late afternoon, they entered the small clearing. Morgotta gestured to have Harry stand in front of her and then she surprised him by folding her legs beneath her so that their heads were nearly level with one another.

"For what I have to say, I would that we were, as you humans say, eye-to-eye."

Harry nodded his understanding.

"You and I have travelled a long road together. In those earliest days I had my concerns over your influence on the herd and I found your mate's concerns about me an absurdity. But with time and association and the sharing of interests and knowledge I came to call you friend, as you have me. I believed I knew what that meant. But this last occurrence, when the likelihood of your not returning seemed so possible, I realized with it truly meant. You are my friend, Harry Potter, unlike any I have ever had. Your love of knowledge, for its own sake and to share with others, would make you the equal of any Loremaster. Your concern for your fellow magic users is the essence of what makes a herd a herd. Your wry, self deprecating humour is to be much admired in a race that often wears its arrogance like a robe. And the idea that I would be denied all that filled me with dread."

All this came out while those large luminous eyes held his. Then she dropped her gaze a moment and said,

"You humans think of Centaurs as proud, aloof, cold. But we have our feelings as does any sentient being. We simply choose not to show them to you for fear that it would be something you could somehow use against us. When you reemerged from your trip into the flows, we were all relieved. I was joyful and I realized that perhaps he should know this, for all that you risk on all our behalves. So I decided I would share this with you and ask an indulgence."

Harry was, to say the least, dumbfounded by what his friend had chosen to reveal to him and show a side of herself he had never seen, or would have expected. But he knew how incredibly important it was, so he gathered his somewhat scattered wits and said,

"Of course."

"I am reminded of the young one, Trevor Osborne, and my encounter with him," was all she said, but her open armed gesture was all too familiar to Harry.

Harry stepped forward and found himself encircled by a pair of strong arms. Unlike Fleur whose strength was belied by the slenderness of her arms, a female Centaur had a more evident muscularity. However, there was a gentleness there as well. He, likewise, with long years of practice, returned the embrace. Thanks to their more even height as Morgotta reclined, her mouth was by his ear and he heard her say,

"Your mate still has nothing to fear. I only wished to demonstrate my understanding as to the depth of our bond. It seemed foolish not acknowledge it."

Harry stepped back and their hands fell into the now familiar double clasp. He looked into her face, seeing those usually stern, if stunning, features softened slightly by the question it now held. Harry responded with a smile and said,

"Although not the whole story, I will tell you that I met someone in the flows. A being who explained much, which I will in turn explain. But for now you should know that he asked me if I was there seeking, among other things, treasures and riches. I explained I had treasures and riches enough. I now realize I had far more than I had thought."

He was gratified to see the corners of her lips turn up in a genuine, if small, smile. With a nod she rose to her full height with a last clasp. Then she turned and slowly made her way from the clearing. Harry smiled rather more broadly and he in turn made his way out of the forest into the last rays of the afternoon sun. There was much to consider, much in deed.

In another place, two other beings were sharing a conversation. Their words were not spoken and the concepts would have been strange to anyone who could have heard them but they contained meaning.

"The one who concerns us has learned much. He has begun to journey."

"It is as you say, but he is not the only one. His progeny may be the bigger threat. Each shares in the sire's abilities in their own way, bolstered by the maternal line. Soon there may be four to stand where now there is but one."

"Attempts have been made, but we must move carefully and with renewed haste. We no longer may act with impunity."

"Assemble the others. Plans must be laid."

And then the shadows were gone.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Excuse me, Professor Potter?"

Harry looked up at the sound of his name and saw Scorpius Malfoy standing opposite him at the junior end of the Gryffindor table. The Slytherin first year was standing nearly at attention, his expression tentative.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, what can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if I could have a word with you. In private?"

Those words were starting to sound all too familiar to Harry recently. Harry nodded and said,

"My office in thirty minutes."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," the Malfoy boy replied and then turned and headed for the exit.

About five minutes later Harry lifted his head from his work and said without looking,

"Yes, James?"

"What did the little rotter want?" James asked.

Harry turned to regard his son who was standing to his side. The boy's posture appeared relaxed but his eyes never seemed to stop moving, generally going from the Slytherin table to Harry and back. In fact, Harry could tell his son was more like a compressed spring.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, but that's hardly your business, now, is it?"

Harry watched as his son's jaw muscles tightened and then relaxed.

"No, I suppose it's not, but I don't trust him, or any of them, especially the younger ones."

Harry regarded his first born son for a moment and then said,

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you the one insisting that your cousins were overreacting by suspecting every Slytherin to the point of committing burglary to obtain proof?"

"You aren't wrong, sir, but I was trying to keep them from doing something that would cause trouble for all of us. It doesn't mean I trust the buggers. I don't think you should either, especially one that has Malfoy blood in his veins."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter, I'll make sure I keep my wits about me," Harry said with a wink.

James gave a small smile and then went on his way. Harry watched as his son walked away to join Cecil who was sitting at the Hufflepuff table. He let his eyes stray to the Slytherin table but despite James' concerns, the scattering of students there appeared to be concentrating on schoolwork, not evil plotting. So he spent another fifteen minutes or so on his own work before collecting up his papers and making his way to his office. At exactly thirty minutes after being told to report to Harry's office, the younger Malfoy knocked on the office door.

"Enter."

Scorpius swung the door in and entered the smallish and sparsely furnished office with some apprehension. It was a state of mind with which he was very familiar since getting his letter earlier in the year. He had heard the name Potter spoken only a handful of times in his life, always in quiet tones, and with apprehension. There were times when he wished he wouldn't get a letter so that he didn't have to go to Hogwarts and come face to face with any Potters. What he wasn't aware of was that his mother shared his concerns and had taken the seemingly drastic step of writing a letter to the Deputy Headmaster on her son's behalf. Harry was recalling the contents of that letter as he watched the boy enter.

Astoria Malfoy, nee Greengrass, had expressed her concerns that due to the long history of bad blood between Harry and her husband and father-in-law, her only son might suffer in some way. Harry had to smile to himself when he read the words, thinking how surprised Scorpius' mother might be to learn of the significant debt he felt he owed to her mother-in-law. Not that it would have mattered. Harry was a firm believer that the sins of the father, or worse, the grandfather, should not be visited upon the son. So it was with a small smile that he gestured for the boy to take a seat.

"So, Mr. Malfoy, what can I do for you?"

"Well, sir, ever since I arrived at Hogwarts, I've had the feeling that I'm being watched. It might be that I'm over sensitive, but I don't think so. I'd like to know if I'm being singled out for some reason, and if so, why?"

Harry regarded the boy as he sat at the edge of the hard, wooden chair. It was obvious that the boy was nervous but he was trying to put the best face on it. His expression wasn't quite a challenge, but it was equally obvious that he didn't want to appear cowed.

"No, in fact, you have not be singled out, Mr. Malfoy. You are not wrong that you are being watched, as are all the students. There's nothing unusual in that. The faculty are always keeping their eyes open for trouble."

"I get the feeling it's more than the faculty, sir," the young wizard offered.

"Be that as it may, Mr. Malfoy, rest assured that you are being treated no differently than any other student, regardless of their house. And that will continue to be the case as long as you don't do anything that warrants extra attention," Harry explained.

Scorpius left the office a few minutes later and Harry was sure the boy was unconvinced of his 'just another student' status. He couldn't help but wonder if the inoffensive manner wasn't covering up the usual Malfoy arrogance. Fearing that nothing more of any good could be accomplished, Harry pulled on his cloak, grabbed his bag and left the castle. He pulled the cloak more tightly around his shoulders, as the last week of autumn held the promise of a cold winter. But his wizard senses were telling him there was more to the chill than mere weather.

A good deal of that extra chill was emanating from a deep shadow a few dozen paces from the gate. It had nothing to do with the dim light of the barely risen half moon. The chill may have been the result of the 'thoughts' passing between the two halves of the shadow.

"It appears that all is as previously reported."

"Perhaps more so. This world boils with power."

"And yet so few can make use of it, if only barely."

"That one is different. Perhaps a forerunner as suggested. We must press ahead with a test."

"It could prove costly."

"There are others that can be used to do what is necessary."

"Agreed."

Had anyone been paying attention to the deep shadow, it would no longer have looked quite so dark nor the air feel quite so chill.

Harry was no longer concerned about how cold it was getting. Entering the house at Meadow Crest through the back door, he was met with the warmth of the kitchen as Nibs prepared dinner under the watchful eye of Kreacher. He made it all of half a dozen steps before he was met with a full speed hug from his daughter, Lily. As he returned the embrace he thought she was her mother's child for sure.

"So what's all this about, sweetheart?"

"I always give you hugs, Daddy."

"I know, Lily, but usually you let me get out into the hallway first."

"Well, Abagail suggested you could probably use a big hug as soon as possible," the girl said, looking up at her father.

"Your sister is here, then, I assume. How about Angus?"

"Yes, Daddy. Mummy invited them to stay for dinner."

"Sounds like a chatty dinner," Harry said, smiling down at his daughter, who giggled behind her hand.

She took hold of his hand and led him to the living room where the others had gathered. Abagail was the first to reach him and wrapped him in a tight hug. From the vicinity of his shoulder he heard,

"You have some explaining to do, mister. Whatever you've been up to has been messing me about."

"Sorry, little one. I think you'll find the explanation rather interesting. You too, Angus."

"Harry, do you think we can wait until after dinner is over?" Ginny asked, a slight edge to her voice.

Before Harry could answer, Lily was standing in front of her mother.

"Please, Mummy, can Daddy start now? I've been waiting to find out who was the strange man Daddy was talking to in that old place."

Harry looked as his daughter and asked,

"Another dream, sweetheart?"

"Yes, Daddy, but it wasn't the same as when you were under the castle. This time it seemed like you were very far away. I couldn't hear anything you were saying. But the man you were talking to was real. Not like that ghost face on that big statue."

As Lily talked to her father the others were staring at them in varying degrees of amazement. Abagail was the first to say something.

"What's all this about Lily and dreams, Harry?"

"Yes, and why wasn't I told anything about this?" Ginny asked, her voice even edgier.

Harry and Lily looked at each other.

"You didn't tell your mother, sweetheart?" Harry asked.

"No, Daddy, I thought you would. Oops," she replied with a straight face.

"Oops, indeed," her mother interjected. "So let's start with this, Harry. What is this about my daughter and her dreams?"

Harry regarded his wife, who was doing a fair imitation of Fleur with a cocked eyebrow and a finger lightly tapping the arm of her chair.

"It's a recent thing, love. A little while after I had gone into the Chamber of Secrets with Ron and the Aurors, Lily made reference to seeing me talking with Slytherin's statue. Apparently she has dreams about things that are happening, or have recently happened. It seems this last one was what I was going to tell you all about tonight."

Ginny gave her husband a withering look and then took her daughter by the hands and said,

"Lily, sweetheart, from now on, when these things happen, please don't wait to tell me about them. It seems your father is becoming too preoccupied to keep me abreast of his activities like he used to."

Matching her mother's stern expression, Lily simply nodded her acceptance. When her mother released her hands, Lily turned and gave her father a brief but decidedly devilish smile. Neither one realized it at the time, but it was the beginning of a long relationship as coconspirators.

"Alright, Harry, you might as well start explaining the rest of it."

"If you say so, dear. Let me start by asking you a question, little one. How did you know something was going on?"

"Easy, Harry. You weren't here anymore," Abagail said, tapping the side of her head. "I don't go into a panic like I did that first time in the chamber, but I'm very aware that you've gone to some other place where I can't follow you unless I have contact with that pillar. It's happened a few times now. I guess you've been exploring the flows again, yes?"

"I have, little one. I've been trying to get to the bottom of these dreams of mine and I thought the flows might lead to something. And it did, something extraordinary."

Harry went on to explain his two trips to the flows and the trip to Professor McGonagall's for advice in between. He left out the training session with the cabinet. When Harry was relating what Nigel told him about the nature of the cosmos and the 'true journey', Angus leaned back in his chair with eyes wide.

"You know, Professor, if ye could prove it, ye'd turn the muggles on their ears," Angus offered.

"Yes, and expose the wizarding world to them, so I think we'll keep this our little secret and leave the muggles the joy of discovery," Harry replied.

"Harry, sweetheart, when you first started exploring this flow business, weren't you worried about it somehow, I don't know, stealing a part of you?" Ginny asked.

"It was a concern, love, but after a number of excursions, I haven't noticed any issues, so I might have been worried about nothing."

"Oh, really? Isn't it possible that this whole dream business is tied to your little jaunts and what's occurring is actually all up here?" she replied, tapping the side of her head.

Harry took a deep breath and said,

"I have thought about that, Gin."

"But, Mummy, what about my dreams?" Lily asked.

"I have no idea, sweetheart. I'm simply trying to impress upon your father that I don't appreciate his putting his well being, and our life together, in danger, again."

"You know, Ginny," Abagail began, "I don't like what Harry is doing one bit, but the fact that I lost contact with him on both occasions points to something more than dreaming."

Ginny sniffed as she regarded Abagail for a moment before returning her attention to her husband. She had definitely learned a thing or two from her French born sister in law.

"Harry, I thought I had come to terms with your uniqueness a long time ago, but this is getting to be a bit much, even for you. Will you at least do me the favor of not doing any more of this until after the holidays, at least?"

"I hadn't really planned on anything, love, so that won't be a problem. I'm not even sure what I could go looking for at this point."

"Fine, thank you. Now, let's have our dinner."

After dinner had concluded, with no further discussion concerning Harry's 'jaunts', Harry was walking towards the library with Lily alongside. She looked up at her father and said,

"Daddy, is Mummy really very upset with you?"

"I wouldn't say very, but yes, she's upset. Sweetheart, you have to remember that your mother went through some very difficult times, usually associated with me. More than anything, I think she gets a little scared. Especially now that she has you and your brothers to worry about."

"Does this mean that I can't help you anymore?"

"No, I still need your help. I need you to keep writing down your dreams. And I need you and Mr. Monty to keep an eye out for anything strange that might be happening here around the house. Can you do that for me?" Harry asked.

"Of course, Daddy. We do that now anyway."

"Good girl. With you here and the boys keeping an eye on things at school, I'm sure we'll be prepared for anything that happens," he said with a small grin.

Lily smiled back and then her expression got serious again.

"Daddy, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Yes, you can."

"Do you think that sometime soon, you could take me to meet the Centaurs?"

Harry regarded his daughter for a moment, thinking about her love for all manner of creatures and thought he better dig a little deeper.

"What did you have in mind, sweetheart?"

"Well, I've known house elves forever and you've let me meet the goblins at the bank. The Centaurs are the only people like us that I haven't met."

Harry couldn't help but smile at the idea that his daughter considered the other magical races as 'people like us'. He imagined Lily wouldn't have thought very highly of that old display in the foyer of the Ministry. Its destruction was the only positive on an otherwise terrible night.

"I think I could probably arrange that. But I think we'll wait until the weather warms up. The forest isn't at its best in the wintertime."

"I think that would be alright."

"Done and done, then. Now, we only have a handful of days before the holidays start. What do you say we do what we can to make things less stressful on your mother? Which will make things a lot less stressful on us," Harry said with a smile.

"How?" Lily asked.

"No mention of the shadow men or the flows or Nigel, for starters. And no messing your brothers about."

Lily nodded her head and said,

"The first part will be easy, Daddy. I don't know about the second. They usually start it."

"Hmm, that is true. I hate to do this to them, but maybe I'll have to have a word with your grandmother," Harry said with a small smile.

"Oh, daddy, that's terrible," Lily said before laughing behind her hands.

"Maybe, but I've had to enlist the help of everyone I can at the school, you know, portraits, ghosts. I don't see why I can't do that at home."

"What help of mine do you need, dear?" a familiar voice said from behind him

He turned to see his mother standing in the hallway, her expression serious but with a bit of a smile on her lips.

"Hello, Mom, I guess you heard me?"

"I heard my name being mentioned as in grandmother."

"Well, the boys will be home before long and with all that's been going on, I thought they might need a bit more supervision."

"I believe I can arrange for that, son. But since you've mentioned it, just what is going on as you say? You're most learned friends are beside themselves with curiosity."

"Ah, I suppose I'll have to pay them a visit and bring them up to date on everything. But I can do that for you now, if you'd like. The young lady and I were just going in to the library," Harry said with a smile.

So for the next half an hour or so, Lily the elder sat and listened while Harry explained what had be happening and then Lily the younger explained about her dreams.

"Are you worried then that something might be threatening us from out there somewhere?" his mother said making a vague gesture with her hand.

"I suppose I am, Mum. Something is going on, that's for sure, I just don't know from where. It seems 'out there' is far stranger than anyone imagines. As to the dreams," he said with a shrug, "I wonder if Lily is picking up on something from 'out there'."

"You know, Harry, this isn't meant as a criticism, but with all you've been dealing with since, well, your whole life it seems, you may not realize something. I've watched you children grow, very closely in fact, and I can tell you that each, in his or her own way, are rather extraordinary."

"I've come to the conclusion myself, Mum," Harry said, hiding the inner cringe that his mother's observation created.

"I'm sure you have, dear. I'm simply trying to suggest that you not hesitate to rely on them when the need arises. Of course, I don't think you need to share my advice with Ginny."

Harry's expression suggested he wasn't quite that insane.

The final few days of school were relatively quiet. Apparently no one wanted to risk having some horrific punishment assignment levied against them over the break. During the end of term dinner, several groups of students could be seen in earnest conversation. Albus, Rose and the members of their small group were speaking in low tones, with heads close.

James was holding an animated conversation with Kai and Victoire to his right while Domi was trying to get her two knuts worth in from the left. The essence of the conversation was James trying to fend off suggestions from the others about how they might put their free time during the break to good use. James on the other hand was adamant that they stick to enjoying the holiday and not bother with anything regarding the difficulties with the Slytherins.

Quite frankly, he was more than a little worried about what might happen if anyone started doing any freelance work without him around to keep things under control. He didn't know it but what he was imagining would be described by Albus as a run away nuclear reactor, with about the same likelihood for disaster.

"Hey, last time, okay. No one does anything creative over the break. Da needs to be able to relax."

"What does that have to do with it, James?" Vee demanded in an overloud whisper. "We can do plenty without involving Uncle 'arry."

James responding expression spoke volumes and Kai had to hide her smile behind her hand. After dinner was over and the students were all returning to their rooms, Kai was walking along hand in hand with James and she asked,

"What's the concern, sweetheart? Between Christmas at your grandparents and then being home with their mother and father, what kind of trouble can Vee and Domi get into?"

"I'm not really sure, Kai. I try not to think of things like that too much, otherwise I get nightmares," he said, to which she laughed and squeezed his hand. "But all Da has to do is see those two in some whispered conversation and he's going to get suspicious and want to find out what's going on. Those two are about as obvious as Uncle Rubeus in a crowd of first years."

That comment had Kai chuckling all the way to the common room. Albus had a much better conversation. Each of his team mates had a task to complete before returning for the second term. Once he had the formula for solidifying the rotted wood of the ladder in hand he had engaged in a long distance consultation with his grandfather via owl messaging. As a result each of his compatriots had materials to gather and bring with them back to school.

Guinevere, as a muggle born, was going to contribute to the project something that many muggles consider magical in its own right, duct tape. Her task was to acquire as many rolls as she thought she could carry back to the school. Albus and his grandfather had worked out a plan that was a mix of magic and muggle do-it-your-selfing that they hoped would provide a safe solid ladder.

The trip home the following morning for the Weasley Clan Kids was much quicker than for the rest of the student body. The WCKs took advantage of the fireplace in the small stone cottage in Hogsmeade while their schoolmates took the Express. The one exception was Kai, who may not have been a WCK by birth but she was in the hearts and minds of the Clan in general. While Harry and Ginny had sometimes expressed concerns about the intensity of the feelings between the girl and their son, there was no denying how genuine they were. Not to mention the connection between Ginny and Kai as fellow Chasers.

So as the kids swarmed into the kitchen at Meadow Crest she was greeted with as much enthusiasm from grandparents, aunts, uncles and parents. When it was Ginny's turn the hug was warm and extended to include some low toned conversation.

"Kai, dear, how are you?"

"Fine, Mrs. Potter, and you?"

"Just fine, dear. So tell me. Are the rumors true?"

"What rumors?"

"The ones that I'm hearing that the Holyhead Harpies are having you fly with their reserve team this summer?"

Kai leaned back and looked at Ginny with wide eyes.

"How did you hear about that?"

"Oh, sweetheart. I haven't flown with the Harpies in a long time, but it doesn't mean I don't know what's going on with them. I can't tell you how proud I am of you," Ginny said with a big smile.

"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Potter. I was really surprised when I got the letter but I didn't want to say anything to anyone. I thought it might hex things."

"I understand, sweetheart. Superstitions are part of the business, after all."

"Not to mention one of those Slytherin bullies might try to take me out just for the spite."

Ginny could only nod in agreement. Meanwhile, Harry was watching as his son Albus was engaging in a whispered, if urgent, conversation with his grandfather. They would bear watching he thought to himself. It was up to Molly to get the situation under control.

"Alright, everyone. Why don't we move this into the living room and allow the boys to get on with making lunch for us."

Molly had gotten into the habit of referring to the Potter house elves as 'the boys' during the years of their helping her with the big holiday dinners. So the kids and their parents were herded out of the kitchen and down to the living room. Albus and his grandfather lagged behind.

"So, Granddad, what do you think?"

"An interesting solution, I have to admit. You're sure of the measurements?"

"Yes, sir. At least as far as we were able to take them."

"Okay, well, I think it's safe to say we can get enough parts made for the lower section and as you work your way up you can send me any changes if you find them. I am concerned for your safety, son."

"So am I, Granddad. We have some plans to deal with that. The muggles have some things we can use."

"I've always thought so. Clever buggers in their own way," Arthur Weasley said.

It required half an hour to get everyone settled into the dining room and during that time Abagail and Angus arrived, she with a large flat package wrapped in plain brown paper.

"Thank you, little one. I hope it didn't cause you any problems," Harry said.

"Not at all, Harry. It was an interesting project. I hope it works out the way you want it to."

"So do I, little one, but even if it doesn't, it still needed to be done. I'll let you know what happens."

Harry took the package and tucked it away in his home office. It would have to stay there until after Christmas. After lunch and some lingering conversation, the guests dispersed to their own homes and the Potters gathered in the living room to discuss plans for the break.

"You don't have anything planned that I might not like, do you, Harry?" Ginny asked with a bit of a squint.

"No, love, nothing of that sort. I do want to take a trip in to Diagon Alley after Christmas to see what Flourish and Blotts might have gotten in since the summer. Other than that, nothing special."

"Daddy, can I come with you?" Lily asked. "I'd like to stop at the store and talk to the owl lady about Nibbles."

"Is there something wrong with him, sweetheart?" Harry asked.

"No, nothing like that, Daddy. I just have a few questions to ask, that's all."

Harry nodded. He was pretty sure that even as young as she was, Lily would have some very interesting questions to ask the 'owl lady'.

"What about you boys," their mother asked.

"I have some work to do on a project for school," Albus replied.

When the boy saw his father's raised eyebrow, he added,

"For Professor Paracelcus."

"And you, dear," Ginny asked James.

"I need to do some archery practice, Mum. I've been letting that slip with all the Quidditch practice. Ronan wouldn't be very happy if he took me out into the forest the way I am now."

His mother simply nodded, still not entirely comfortable with the notion that her son was so capable with such a deadly weapon. It reminded her too much of his father's school career. Later in the afternoon Albus and James were sitting in the latter's room talking quietly.

"So what did Granddad say?" James asked.

"It's set. He'll start work after the party and have enough material in place by the time we get back so we can make a start."

"That's great, Al. I knew you'd come up with a solution."

"I came up with an idea, James. Time will tell if it's a solution."

"Solution to what?" Lily asked as she walked in with Mr. Monty at her side.

"To nothing," James snapped back.

"Oh, stop it, James. I may not be at school yet, but that doesn't mean I don't know what's going on. I know that Daddy has problems. I know that it's dangerous, too. Do you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, we both do. In fact, it's so dangerous we're working on ways to get people to safety if it all goes bad. And you better keep that to yourself, little miss," James responded.

Much to the boys' surprise their sister didn't argue back. She just nodded and said,

"Good."

Christmas at the Burrow was as well attended and lively as any but there was an undercurrent of tension as various knots of partiers spoke with heads close and voices low. Estelle, Kai and the Weasley sisters were one such knot.

"I've already told you all I know, Vee," Estelle began. "He encouraged me to look to my writing but asked me to keep my wand skills sharp in case he needed my help. That's all," with the last being said with an air of finality.

"This is all too much. After all these years of trying to keep us out of his way, he's now recruiting students," Victoire said with some asperity.

"I don't understand you, Vee," Domi interjected. "You worry and worry about Uncle Harry, and then when he starts taking some precautions you get all wound up."

"That's exactly why I'm getting all wound up, Domi. He wouldn't be taking those precautions if the situation wasn't really bad. And regardless of who he recruits he'll still be right in the middle of it. And you know how that has turned out in the past."

The other three girls could only nod their understanding. The subject of their discussion was deeply involved in a dogged fight against Ron and his manic wizards chessmen. His brother had invested in a finely crafted wizards chess set but for some reason had the spell tailored to produce a board full of Viking berserkers. Harry could only shake his head in amusement as the various episodes of single combat resulted in small piles of rubble that would magically reassembled themselves when the game ended.

"Ron, mate, what possessed you to buy such a crazed set of chessmen?"

"It wasn't what I had in mind at the start, Harry. But when I mentioned to the salesman that I was starting to find the game a little boring, he showed me a sample like these and I was sold. I haven't had this much fun in years."

"You don't use these when you play with Hugo, do you?" Harry asked.

"Not bloody likely, mate. Hermione took one look at the set and banished them to the attic. I only get to use them when I go someplace else. Once in a while I sneak them out to the Cauldron for a few matches. Really livens up the place," Ron said with a big grin.

Harry could only laugh. In time, the gifts where exchanged, the discussions diminished and the revelers soon returned to their homes, happy for the occasion but still mindful of the underlying concerns. The following morning, after breakfast, Harry sat in his chair in the library, lost in thought. Some might have called in brooding. It wasn't until mid morning when Ginny walked in and came to stop by his chair.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? You're looking decidedly unhappy."

"Oh, it's nothing really, I suppose. Just thinking."

He may have said it with the intent of not wanting to further upset his wife but it was entirely the wrong tack. Instead what he got was the full Weasley glare. Ginny's arms were folded across her chest, her stance shifted to one hip slightly elevated and from her temporarily superior height she glared down at her husband.

"Don't try and get around me like that, Mister Potter. You will not spend your holidays slouching about this house filling it with gloom and doom. Now, tell me what this is all about."

Harry looked up at his wife and said,

"Do you think this is all a mistake, Gin? Do you think that I should be leaving well enough alone and not be sticking my nose where it doesn't belong? I mean look at yesterday. It's always so much fun at the Burrow at Christmas but couldn't you feel the tension? Maybe I should just drop the whole thing."

To say the least, Ginny was surprised. She hadn't heard Harry sound so uncertain of things since their last year of school together. She sat down on the couch by his chair and said,

"Harry, how could you think that? Was it you that got those strange beings stirred up and looking to cause trouble for us? Were you the one that dropped Trevor into our midst? No. But when trouble comes knocking, you are the one who steps up and deals with it, much as I might like you to let someone else take on the job. And you're the one who looks past the immediate problem and sees that something bigger is happening, like that Romanian wizard or the whole terrible hybrid dragon business. Yes, people were concerned yesterday about what you think might be happening. But think how they'd feel if whatever's going on rolled right over them while they weren't looking."

Harry chose not to respond beyond a small smile, but it did feel good to hear what she had to say. As long as he had her support he felt he could handle anything. Fortunately, the rest of the holiday break past without incident for Harry. He was well aware that his children were busy with their own tasks and he was fairly sure he knew what they were about, at least in general terms. He also knew that someone, or several someones, was making a number of trips to the owlry.

On the last night before the term was set to resume he sat in his favorite chair in the library contemplating what he was planning to do next. While not something physically hazardous as was so often the case in the past, it did contain certain personal risks. That line of thinking was interrupted by the sound of soft footsteps going past the open library door and he couldn't help but smile. He wondered for a moment what it would have been like to have had one or more siblings to rely on during those difficult years.

Then he laughed quietly to himself and shook his head. Of course, he did have. One brother and one sister. They just happened to have different parents. He knew those footsteps had to have been young Lily, as her brothers had left for school via the Floo Network late that afternoon. As he had so often during the quiet times since Christmas day, he turned his thoughts to his daughter and the talents that were starting to emerge.

Her preternatural, even for a witch, connection with various animals was well established. But the second sight, or sixth sense, or what have you with her dreams was quite a surprise. He wasn't aware of anyone on either side of the family with any kind of physic ability. One had to look back many generations to the Peverells for any connection to someone like the Tralawneys and Abagail. However, it came about it was something that could prove to be a great asset if they could come to understand it better.

The following morning, after a robust breakfast and a whispered conversation with his daughter, he was off to Hogwarts with the large flat package under his arm. His walk to his classroom was uneventful and he only had to answer a few greetings but no one thought to ask about the package. Once in his sparely decorated office, he hung up his cloak after placing the package on his desk. He then proceeded to tear the paper away from one side and then set the package against the wall and mumbled a few words and when he let go it hung there.

He cast a sidelong glance at the photo of his entire family that Abagail had arranged for all those years ago and saw all the heads turned in his direction. With a grin he pulled the rest of the brown paper away to reveal a portrait. His immediate reaction was that it was one of Abagail's very best. The image was incredibly lifelike, showing the life sized representation of a wizard from about mid waist up. Harry couldn't help but smile as he stepped back and waited. Then, as with all such portraits, the eyes moved to make contact with his and the edges of the lips turned up in a smile that was nearly a sneer.

"Well, Potter, from the look of you, I'd say some time has passed since the last time we met."

"Yes, it has. It's good to see you again, Professor Snape."

Abagail had made no attempt to improve or soften the image of Harry's one time nemesis and unexpected ally. The lank hair, dark eyes and sallow complexion were all there as Harry had remembered and Abagail was able to pick from those memories. The eyes moved from side to side to take in as much of the room as he could from his two dimensional vantage point. The Professor's eyebrows pulled down into a characteristic frown as he said,

"This doesn't appear to be the Head's office, Potter. It looks like Professor McGonagall's office."

"That's right, Professor. Although, it's my office now. Professor McGonagall became the Head after, well, after everything was over. She has since retired and Professor Sprout is now Headmistress," Harry explained.

"Thank you for the history lesson, Potter, but that doesn't explain why my portrait is not in the Head's office," Snape replied, his expression inviting an explanation.

"That's true, Professor. The simple fact is that the Board of Governors has refused to allow a portrait of you to be commissioned and placed in the Head's office," Harry offered.

"I see. I can imagine their reasoning but I'd like to hear it from you, Potter. Or, I suppose I should say Professor."

"Thank you, sir," Harry replied as much out of habit as courtesy. "Each of the several times that I have brought it up, I was told that they don't not consider your tenure as Head to be official, or sanctioned, I believe was the term they used. Even after I explained your role in matters, they wouldn't relent."

"You brought it up to them?" Snape asked.

"Yes, sir. As the Deputy Head, I attend the meetings along with Professor Sprout."

Snape looked at a spot on the wall above Harry's head for a few moments before returning his gaze to his former student.

"Then why am I here and where did my portrait come from?"

"I had it done, Professor. A particularly talented young artist I know did it for me as a favor. As to why, I decided that it was your due, over due in fact, and despite how you came to the job, you did as well as could have been expected under the circumstances, and you did much to shield the students from the worst of what Voldemort's minions might have otherwise inflicted on them."

Snape nodded once and then in classic fashion said,

"And so I'm to remain here in this small office in exile?"

"No, Professor, well at least not forever. The last time I brought the subject up, one of the Governors took me aside after the meeting and said to me that I had time on my side as I was a young wizard destined to be the Head of Hogwarts and they were all old Wizards and Witches and once they were gone and I was Head I could get my own way," Harry said with a smile.

"Then why now?"

"Because I need your help, Professor. Things have been happening these past years that points to something that could be more dangerous than Voldemort ever was."

And Harry went on to explain what had occurred and the things that he had discovered. Snape's expression barely shifted as he took in all that Harry shared with him. When Harry was finished, Snape said,

"Dumbledore often said there was more to you than anyone, even him, could guess. I can't say that I have anything immediate to offer you, but I will offer what help I can. I didn't spend all those years working to defeat Voldemort to have something worse take his place."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry replied but didn't go on as a knock at the door got his attention. "Excuse me a moment."

Harry opened the door and ushered in his son Albus.

"I'm here as you wanted, sir," the boy replied, his eyes drawn to the portrait over his father's shoulder.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," Harry said as he turned and addressed the portrait. "Son, I'd like to introduce you to Professor Severus Snape. Professor, this is my son, Albus Severus Potter."

At the sound of the first name, Snape smirked a bit but the second name wiped the smirk from his face and he looked genuinely surprised.

"It's very nice to meet you, sir. My father has mentioned you many times," Albus replied.

Snape didn't respond immediately but his eyes did flick to Harry's and then back to Albus'. Harry could only imagine what Snape was thinking, considering what had happened when the older man had died.

"Albus is my second son. He shows a great deal of promise with potions, among other subjects."

"Is that right? Well, young Potter. Tell me what would I get if I add powered root of Asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Without missing a beat Albus replied,

"That would result in the extremely strong sleeping potion know as the Draught of Living Death, sir."

"Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

"A goat's stomach, sir."

"And what is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?"

"There is none, sir."

"And why is that, Potter?"

"Because they are just different names for the same plant, sir. I suppose one could infer that the letters used in each name are differences but I don't think that's what you were referring to, sir."

Harry did a masterful job of hiding his smile while Snape's eyebrows rose just a touch. Then his old teacher regarded him and said,

"Well, it would seem that at least one Potter knows something of the subject matter."

"Yes, it would, Professor. He has a particular facility with the processes involved."

"I see," Snape said, regarding the student again. "Should you feel the need, you can call upon me, young man."

"Thank you very much, sir. My grandmother said she didn't know anyone who knew more about potions than you did."

"Your grandmother? Oh, yes, well, she was being kind I'm sure. If there is nothing else, Professor, I think we are done here for now. I will give your situation some thought."

"Thank you, Professor. I'd appreciate that," Harry said.

And with that, the portrait went still. With a nod to his family Harry led his son out of the office and into the corridor. Harry put his arm around his son's shoulder and said,

"You did very well in there, son. Thank you."

"Not a problem, sir. I can see now what you meant with some of your stories. He is pretty scary looking when he scowls at you like that."

"Too right. And as to his offer of help, I think you want to discuss that with Professor Paracelcus. You don't want it to appear that you're trying to go around her."

"Yes, sir, I'll do that."

As Harry made his way to his first class he thought that things had gone pretty well. It could be years before Professor Snape's portrait finally hung in the Head's office, but he felt that he had done the best he could under the circumstances. And who knows, perhaps the man's particular perspective might be of help. And help they were going to need and sooner than Harry had hoped.

Two nights after the start of the new term, the peace that was Hogwarts at midnight was shattered by the sound of a number of loud reports that seemed to come from every direction around the castle. But this was not an unprepared group of scholars. There was only a few moments of confusion until the realization of what they had been warned about was in fact actually happening. Hogwarts was under attack. Students poured into the corridors outside their dormitories and took up positions at windows looking for signs of who or what was attacking.

It rapidly became apparent that a number of figures where in the air around the castle, presumably on brooms, casting some form of spells against the building. While the castle had its protective spells, the heavy detonations rattled the ancient stonework. Both students and faculty began sending spells back and it was clear that there were spells protecting the attackers as well. It also became clear to James Potter that it was a stalemate for the time being, if the castle continued to get shaken like this, they were in trouble. He wondered just how good their protection was, so he darted from his position by a window and sprinted back to the Gryffindor dormitory.

In moments he was moving at speed away from the Fat Lady with his bow in one hand and his double full quiver in the other. He burst through the doors of the hospital wing and before anyone could say anything he was out on the small patio his father had found so restful all those years ago. He went to one knee behind the low wall and nocked his first arrow. Within moments a target swung in from his right and without apparent thought he drew, aimed and released. He had a second arrow nocked before the effects of the first had registered. Apparently whatever spell was being used by the attackers, it wasn't proof against stone and wood.

Illuminated by the light of a nearby window, James could see the shaft sticking out of the side of the hooded and caped figure as it spiraled down into the darkness. Another figure presented itself as it rose up out of that same well of blackness and he released again. The impact spun the attacker backwards off the odd looking stick and both quickly dropped from sight. Whatever sense that he had inherited from his father told him to turn and quickly and he loosed his third arrow while leaning against the wall that must have been somewhat off target as the figure wavered heavily before right himself, or herself, or perhaps even itself to fly out over the patio and into the darkness.

James was looking for another target when a new sound rose over the continued blasts, the sound of muggle locomotives mixed with a volcano. Blasts of flame lanced out into the night from several directions at once. The dragons! James watched as several objects fell out of the sky trailing fire and smoke. And as suddenly as they had begun, the detonations ceased. The dragons never showed themselves but the sound of their wings faded into the night. James only eased the draw on his bow half way as he stood up and made a careful search of the sky.

From his vantage point he could see figures starting to gather outside the main entrance to the castle. Besides the obviously human figures, he could see Uncle Rubeus and several figures that could only be Centaurs. He hurried down to the entrance and slid to a halt. He could see that his father had arrived and was conferring with some of the other faculty as well as his uncle and the Centaurs. He knew enough not to intrude so instead he looked up, the bow half drawn just in case.

Somewhere else, in that grand expanse called the cosmos, a boy, perhaps a young man, sat with his back resting against the massive foreclaw of a great green dragon.

"Do you think the dragons helped?" Trevor asked.

"I'm sure they did, young human. It appeared that the Potter offspring surprised them. They did not anticipate such antiquated weapons," the dragon replied.

"Sometimes the old ways are the best," Trevor offered.

The dragon could not help but chuckle as the boy, or perhaps young man, went back to listening to the voice in the language he had never heard but understood nonetheless.


End file.
